Emison - Down With This Ship
by Ace100
Summary: "...I've waited for you for years, for you to admit that you had feelings for me; for you to show up… alive... I made my choice, that's why I'm in this kitchen while my girlfriend is at a wedding for my best friend's parents and I can't stand to sit next to her any longer. Because whenever someone says the word love, all i see is your face..." MUST READ ! Smutty/Fluffy
1. Chapter 1 - Down With This Ship

That annoying alarm went off an hour earlier than I needed to get up. I was actually kind of grateful because I really wanted that dream to end. _All I could see was her beautiful blues eyes turn to pools; timed to every hurtful thing that came out of my mouth_. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for making her cry like that. It literally cracked my heart to drive away from Alison that night. Hopefully I don't run into her today at school, considering it was the last day before summer. She's been calling my phone every day since we got out of A's hell whole; as Hannah called it.

"Good Morning princess," said a bright, blue eyed, blonde waltzing into my room; speak of the devil. It was Hannah with a not so typical smile and pip in her step.

"Ugh, why are you so happy?" I replied sounding jealous and a little bit ticked off that I'm the only one from the group in emotional agony.

"No particular reason, Em, Caleb slept over last night…" she trailed. And I couldn't help but zone out and into that scene that keeps replaying in my dreams and in my thoughts. I sighed, loud enough for Hannah to hear. "Am I boring you? Oh my God why aren't you dressed yet?"

I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and flew up at the time. I was an hour late meaning I must have spent over an hour and a half thinking about how much of a jerk I am. I dragged on some clothes, fluffed my hair and grabbed my toothbrush; all in under five minutes. I'm taking laps at the pool today so I'll shower then. I can smell pancakes downstairs and on Hannah's breath so I know mum was already up but I had no time for breakfast.

"Oh my God, were you two doing physics in there? You took forever!" Spencer complained and rolled her eyes alongside Aria, "Ali's probably waiting outside already." My heart collapsed making my eyes widen at Hannah. If panic was a person it would be me at this point.

"A-A-Ali's coming?" I struggled to ask.

"Y-Y-Yeah!" Spencer mocked as she pulled out of my driveway, "she asked for a ride today."

"Do you guys think that she's still angry at us?" Aria turned around staring at Hannah and I, then at Spence.

"We were the reason she ended up in jail. I don't think that hugs and kisses would erase any of that…" Spencer trailed.

"Not unless they're from Em," Hannah joked. But no one actually noticed the massive heart attack I was experiencing in the backseat. We pulled up to the Dilaurentis' house but she wasn't outside. Aria hopped out to go get her. I preyed on the opportunity to take shot-gun so that I didn't have to sit next to Alison. Spencer and Hannah looked at each other confused but I could care less, I just solved a major problem – on to the next.

She looked like a goddess walking down the porch steps; wearing a skin-tight Dolce mini-skirt. Gold curls dancing beside her and those eyes. You could spot those big blues a mile away. I could barely contain myself. My jaw physically popped open watching her every movement intricately. Hands down the most beautiful creature my eyes ever saw; my lips ever touched. _Wow._

"Hey guys!" she greeted all at once as she slipped into the car. My lips moved but I couldn't get one sound out. Aria's brows furrowed as she saw me in her seat but she played along knowing fully well the reason I made the switch. The car ride was dead silent except for low tones of Florence and the Machine music coming from Spencer's playlist. I could see Ali in the corner of my eyes; hands crossed, fiddling with her phone. _She could make anything look good, even murder. That's a dark thought._ I have never been as happy to see the school's building. I jumped out and sped inside leaving the girls a distant confusion.

Last period. I walked into the class and took my usual seat; ignoring the stares and muffled back-talk from my classmates. _Yes, I was kidnapped. Yes, I made it out alive. No, I was not sexually assaulted_ I thought to myself. The entire class, including the teacher went quiet. My eyes became saucers because they were all staring at me. That could only mean that I just said that out loud. _Damn it_. I looked around embarrassed and my eyes met with hers. Her eyes drowning in concern, a little embarrassed on my behalf. In one immensely distracting movement I grabbed up my things and headed for the door. "Emily?" the teacher called out to me. But there was no way I was staying in that class so I headed straight for the pool. I let out a deep sigh; dumping my belongings into the locker. I slammed the door then mushed my head against it. Loud bangs of stilettos marched in my direction. _Oh God no!_ I knew that walk by heart.

"Are you okay, Em?" her voice was honey. And I trailed after each word. She took some falling hair and tucked it sweetly behind her ear, "Em?"

"I- I'm fine Ali, thank you," I muttered looking to the floor, "You didn't have to come in here…"

"I shouldn't have?" she interrupted, raising one brow as if she thought I really wanted her to. In a way she was right. I fantasized about similar scenarios before but right at that moment; considering everything that went down, I really wished she'd stayed in class. I know she was waiting for me to address the situation but I hadn't yet come up with a resolution. I was actually quite amazed that I could even speak to her at this point.

Slumping on one of the locker room benches, I looked up at her – her eyes stained in the darkest of blue – and I figured I'd wing it, "Look, Alison…" I paused thinking she'd interrupt and tell me I didn't have to say a word; that she knew exactly how I felt. But she just stood propped up against the lockers. I sighed. "… I – I don't know how to begin to talk to you right now."

She pushed off the lockers using her shoulders and sat next to me, raising my pores with her heat. "Is that why you've been avoiding me all day, today?" Alison returned flashing a seductive smile and staring right into my eyes. She took my hand and placed it in hers whilst biting her lip – God knows what that did to me. "I get it. I messed up. And you can't trust me anymore. But Em…" she trailed.

I jumped from the bench, pressing my lips together; with no idea what to do with my hands so they just hung beside me awkwardly. "No. No, Ali," I blubbered, tears forming, "I'm the one that's sorry. What I said to you that day. I…"

"Em…" she tried interrupting but I wasn't having it. It's now or never; I have to tell her how I feel.

"No! Listen," I cried no longer able to fight back the tears, "I should've believed you. I can't believe I said those things Ali. I – I – I'm so, so sorry Ali. I just… I just wanted it to be over so bad. I just wanted A to leave us alone." I came apart in the locker room next to the most beautiful girl in school.

Alison leaped up from the bench and in one move I was pinned between the lockers and her body. Her eyes burned with such passion that made every piece of me melt. My reaction was dressed in surprise almost like I was a spectator to the entire thing. I couldn't decide whether to look into those eyes or to gaze at her hot red lips. _Is this really happening?_ As my lips quivered to say her name, she crashed hers into mine. I was completely restricted not by her hands but by the intensity of that kiss and I allowed myself to get completely lost in her. It was a good ten seconds before I could react by running my fingers between her golden curls. She released me. And without the support of the lockers I would've fallen. Her eyes scorched into mine when she did and her lips were millimetres away from mine. I could feel her hot breath against chin and then she whispered, "I knew you couldn't be done with me." A tiny smile crossed her face and she walked out of the room banging those heels into the marble. I was completely taped to the locker.

My lips were bruised and stung in such a sweet agony and I couldn't help but pass my tongue against it hoping to taste her again. I exhaled as if I had been holding my breath the moment she entered. I had no idea which part of it to focus on; her lips, the way she tasted, her provocative eyes or how she pinned me against the lockers. Either way I was too drunk off that kiss to go swimming. I'd probably sink to the bottom of the pool fantasizing about her. So I just went home.


	2. Chapter 2 - My Poison

When I got home, I headed straight for the shower. Mum was working overnight at the department and I was excited to get a few minutes to myself before my shift at the Brew. The hot water pounded into my skin releasing all the tension I'd allowed to build up over the past few days. I stroked my hands between the strands of my hair and I flashed back to those golden curls. I shook it from my head immediately because thinking of Alison in the shower is never a good thing. I let the water trickle over my eyelids but no matter how tightly I shut my eyes the image of hers were burnt into my lids. _What has she done to me?_

Stepping out of the shower my phone beeped with a video message of the girls carpooling to the movies to commemorate the first minutes of summer. I chuckled and draped the towel across my body. I couldn't go because there was no one to cover my shift at work. I stared at my face in the mirror for a good minute before sauntering out of the bathroom. I gasped at the sight of her perched at the edge of my bed; mostly out of shock.

"Ali…" I choked, "W-What are you doing here?" She looked up at me and flashed half a smile.

"Im sorry," she laughed, "the door was open so I let myself in. I knocked. I didn't mean to scare you, Em." Her eyes quickly scanned me before she looked down at her hands and then right into my eyes. I was paralyzed and naked; wearing nothing but my towel.

"No, you didn't scare me," I blushed averting my gaze, "Let me just get dress." I grabbed some clothes and darted back into the bathroom. My heart paced as if I'd just run a great race. _What is she doing here? Honestly, just a minute ago I was fine, now I'm a fumbling, mumbling idiot._ I got dressed and made sure I was presentable for her. I spent longer than I should've adjusting my hair and patting my face.

"Em?" she sweetly called out to me, "everything ok in there?" Her voice had an underlying humour in it. I didn't know why because there is absolutely nothing ever funny about what she does to me. When someone like Alison Dilaurentis comes into your life shit flips and either it's your heart or your life. For me it was both. She had this power over me that turned me upside-down, inside-out, right-side-up and all other combinations. She's poison; the kind that tempts you, that you secretly want to taste even though you know how bad it is. Alison destroys me and rebuilds me in cycles. But I just can't get enough of her, especially because I had her, in her fullness, in her purest and finest form. I need her.

"I'm almost done," I shouted back at her; lightening my pitch, slightly sounding deranged. I took one last look and exhaled not knowing what to expect as I left the comfort of my bathroom. "So, why are you here?" It came out less innocent than I thought.

"I'm sorry," she furrowed her brows, a little thrown by my rude tone. "I needed to talk to you," her eyes re-assumed an angelic quality.

"I didn't… mean that the way it came out," I said defeated, "I was actually about to get ready to leave. Its summer and I thought you headed out with the girls for movie night. I – I didn't expect to see you. Here. O-On my bed."

She placed her hand on the sheets, unconsciously rubbing them. "They told me you weren't going. I… I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't… because of me." She stared at me with those blue orbs, like a child that was sorry for being mischievous. _God she's stunning_. I looked to the floor a little disappointed that that was the only reason she came over.

"No," I laughed out, attempting to hide my blush, "I have a shift." I grabbed my bag and began filling it with the stuff I usually need for work. Me shuffling around the room, started to make Ali uncomfortable, forcing her paint on an awkward smile. "I can't find my headphones," I said whilst I ruffled through the pillows on the bed, seeing to it that I was a large enough distance away from her. I sat on the bed in frustration; serving people coffee for hours is only bearable with Paramore in my ear.

She stood up and looked around the room. "There it is," she smiled and went onto her knees retrieving the headphones from beneath my bed. It was right behind my feet and she used my thigh as leverage to grab it. She handed it to me whilst still on her knees; her face between my legs. And I struggled to swallow, in discomfort because I knew that the situation was completely innocent but having Alison so close to it made my entire body catch fire. She smiled at me, hopefully not noticing my heatstroke but she didn't get up from her position even after handing me the headphones. We just stared at each other and I'm not sure how long it took for her to break the silence.

"Em?" she called out to me quietly, breaking me down with that look she has when she's about to say something that changes everything, "Em, I… I…," Alison speechless is a rarity that I was completely captivated by so she had my full attention, "I need you to know what I feel for you and I need to know what we are."

"Ali, you honestly have all control of that," I said, the words falling from my mouth anticipating what she was going to say next.

"You're the only person that ever loved me in every way that I never wanted. The only person to see all sides of me and still love all of me," her eyes became wet as they pierced into me, "I'm so afraid to love you the way that I want to. I'm so afraid… to hurt you again." I felt so many emotions at once but I couldn't express any of it, I just hung onto her words – enchanted. "I know that… making love to you right now isn't gonna help but it's all that I wanna do." My lips fell open and I could no longer breathe. She caressed my face with a look of fear, lust, and love in her eyes. And in that moment I thought that I made her feel for me the way I feel for her. She looked at my lips then at my eyes for approval and I ran my lips into hers so hard that she let out a muffled moan.

"Are you sure?" I breathed into her mouth and she just kissed me harder. She stood up still connected to my lips and pushed my body down onto the bed pulling our lips apart; so rough that it made a popping sound. My mind was blank as I allowed her to dominate my body. She straddled me; her hands holding her at a distance and she just looked at me like a meal – I'd be anything for her. "Take me," I whispered and as soon as I said it, I couldn't believe I actually said that. She gave me a naughty smirk then bit her lips and kissed me softly.

I couldn't take the way she was torturing me with such a gentle kiss. I grabbed a chunk of her blonde hair and pulled her lips closer to mine. I was on fire and my body yearned for her touch. She moaned into my mouth when I slid my hands around her body. I felt her warm hands creep up beneath my shirt making me press into her. She got up – still straddling me – pulled me into a sitting position and yanked my shirt above my head. Her eyes were hot; burning right into mine, she planted a kiss on me whilst unhooking my bra. _She smells so damn good_. She pulled it off and tossed it beside the bed. I started to kiss on her neck but one second into it she pushed me back down. I loved every minute of this. She pinned my hands above my head and she went straight for my bare breasts – paying most attention to my hardened nipples. "Alison" I moaned softly and she nibbled on it making me jerk forward.

"You like that?" she asked and just when I thought there was no way she could get any more tantalizing, that sexy, breathy voice made me weak. When she was finished with my breasts – I was a pool of desire – she kissed her way down to my stomach, making my moans louder and I could tell that she loved it. I grabbed a fistful of her luscious locks and guided her down. She tightly gripped my wrist and pushed it beside me, holding it in place as she took her time. I couldn't contain myself, I was ready to come apart the longer she took and the closer she got. When she put her lips between my legs, I lost it, because she was so good at it that it was hard to believe that I was the only girl she's ever been with. She moaned against it, slipping her tongue inside of me and I came at once. Bursting around her mouth, a little embarrassed that she could do it in one move. I could feel her smile against me. My eyes were heavy as she kissed her way back up to my lips but I couldn't move. She took all of me.

"Ali…" I whispered, "I love you." She smiled and kissed me one more time.

"I love you too, and I'm sorry… for everything," she said sweetly and got off the bed. I was still unable to move when she left the room. My breath hadn't yet regain normalcy so I just laid there staring at the ceiling. A little while after, my phone got a message. I rolled over and retrieved it from my bag.

' **Next time you can return the favour ;)'**

It was Alison, my Alison. And I couldn't wait to pay her back for today. I looked at the time and my shift was already over. _Oh my God._ I pulled the sheets over my body and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 - Dinner From Hell

This day couldn't have been more annoying. I had the manager breathing down my neck about missing my shift plus it was a Friday so the Brew was filled to capacity. Hannah, Aria, and Spencer were sitting on the couch eyeing me as I tried helplessly to wrap up my last hour of serving. The girls were part of the problem; ordering coffee ever so often, trying to get two minutes of my time.

"So are you gonna tell us?" Hannah asked as I sat her vanilla latte on the table top. I ignored her request pretending to clear the area because I had to, but, honestly, I really did not feel like discussing my love life with coffee stains on my shirt and the smell of pie on my hands.

"Tell you what?" I answered; avoiding their gazes. The girls were looking at me like pigeons after a piece of bread.

"What are you guys talking about?" Aria questioned.

"Emily didn't come in for her shift last night," Spencer smirked towards me obviously figuring out the connection, "and weirdly enough Alison didn't show up to the movies either."

I rolled my eyes and proceeded to the cash register. I could still feel their witty stares and here their giggling to my far right. All I could do was secretly smile because I love them to pieces with their nosey selves. I'd take them investigating Alison and I any day over them snooping around on an 'A' hunt. I was so elated when we finally got him; well, her. Finally, we can have normal, annoying lives.

Finally, I was finished with my shift; thankfully after the girls had already left. I was supposed to meet up with them at Spencer's parents' cabin for a weekend getaway but mum wanted me home for dinner so my plan was to head up there later on that night. There was a message on my phone requesting I pick up some beans and that I 'hasten' to the house because she invited some guests.

When I pulled up to my house, I saw Mr. Dilaurentis' car parked in the driveway. _Oh no you didn't mum!_ I walked slowly to the door trying to listen for voices. But I could only here him and my mother. I exhaled grossly and hesitantly entered my house. "Emily?" mum called out sounding overjoyed. I poked my head into the living room where she and Mr. Dilaurentis sat.

"Hello Emily," he said flashing an unsettling smile at me and, well mum's was ear to ear.

"H – Hi, Mr. Dilaurentis," I muttered awkwardly. He is such a scary man and I don't know if it's because he has no laugh lines on his face or because I often think about defiling his daughter. _Ha, if only he knew._

"Mrs Fields I'm finished with the rice…" said my beautiful blonde bursting into the room, she stopped short of finishing her sentence when she saw me and smiled, "Hi, Em." And just like that I lost my breath again.

"Hey, Alison," I said quietly, "I didn't know you guys were coming over."

"Neither did I?" she whispered in my ear obviously blindsided by this arrangement, "your mother invited us over last minute."

After getting changed, we all sat down at the table to eat. Everything looked amazing and tasted so. I stole chances to stare at her all during dinner. You know that one movie that you watch over and over and over and never get sick of it. That's how Alison was to me, my Titanic. Apart from admiring Alison, I noticed the ridiculous smile on my mother's face which kind of freaked me out a little. But I tried my hardest to ignore it.

"So Emily, I hear that you've gotten a job at the Brew?" Mr. Dilaurentis asked trying to kill the silence.

I nodded, "I've been working there for a while now. I'm trying to save up some money."

"For college?" he pressed.

"Yeah, well I have some savings but I really wanna make sure that I have everything I need," I forced a smile. Alison didn't look up from her plate once during the conversation.

"So are you girls dating?" mum asked making me choke on what I was chewing.

"What?!" I struggled to say. Alison passed me her water and I scoffed it down trying to drown out my nerves.

"I mean whether you two are seeing people," she grinned, "because I know you were just recently single Emily but I don't know about you Alison."

 _Dear Lord what is she doing?_ Alison giggled and kept her poise. "I'm not dating right now Mrs Fields but I am interested in someone but I'm not sure if they're ready for a relationship right now."

"Oh, ok," mum responded and I could see that there was a follow up question. Meanwhile I was beginning to realise that she probably knows about Alison and I somehow. "Do you mind sharing who?"

Alison's mouth opened a little drawn by the discomfort. My head was spinning because I was wondering if right here, right now, she would say my name in front of her father. His lips pressed together awaiting her answer, as did my mothers.

"You know what? I don't think Alison feels comfortable talking about this right now," I offered, saving her and myself. "Mum!" I mouthed to her, pleading that she stops whatever game she was playing.

"It's ok Em," Alison replied as she reached for my hand. She looked at me; her face lit with a happiness that I don't think I've ever seen. Mum, by the grace of God, dropped the personal questions for the rest of the evening. It was filled with her and Ali's dad talking about work stuff and colleges.

Alison got up from the table and asked to be excused. I followed like a lost pup. She went into the downstairs washroom to wash up. I leaned against the door frame as she washed her hands. "I'm so sorry about that," I apologized making her laugh.

"Your mother is a handful, but she's really sweet," she replied.

"I didn't tell her anything about us," I assured her.

"Ok. Maybe you should," she stopped, looking at me, and the butterflies inched in slowly, "I mean if there is an 'us'." She dried her hands and came into the hallway forcing me to back up towards the opposite wall. "How was your day?" she asked running right over the topic.

"Do you want there to be an 'us'?" I asked looking her dead in the eyes. And it's as painfully mesmerizing as I always describe. She looked down to her hands and cocked her head to the side. Before she could answer, we were called back to the living room.

Mr. Dilaurentis thanked mum for the meal and walked towards the door. He looked at Alison confused as to why she wasn't following him. So was I. "Um, Dad, I think I'll take a ride with Emily up to Spencer's cabin." He nodded and left. I had no idea that she was going to be spending the weekend with us.

"I'll help you wash-up Mrs. Fields," Alison said to my mother.

"No, no, it's okay. Why don't you girls head upstairs and get ready for your trip," she smartly declined. Now I know for sure she was up to something. I sent Ali upstairs to wait for me while I spoke to my mum.

"Mum," I summoned her attention, "what's going on? Why did you really invite Alison and her father over tonight?"

"Well, since you asked… I just wanted to see you two together," she grinned holding a cleaning cloth to her chest, like a little girl watching a fairy-tale. I rolled my eyes. "Honey, I always knew you liked Alison, but now I can see that she also has those feelings for you. I mean it's obvious that there's something going on between you two."

"We aren't together mum," I exhaled in a monotone, "we kissed…" she squealed and hugged me, "mum! We just kissed, we haven't discussed anything yet so can you please stop whatever it is you're doing. I don't think her father knows anything."

"Alright honey," she smiled and returned to cleaning. I sighed with relief and sped up the stairs to Alison.

When I walked into the room she was sitting by the window fiddling with the snow globe she gave to me from her grandmother. She looked so innocent that I almost regretted bursting into the room. She looked up at me, her eyes were glistening. She held out the globe for me to take and I walked over and sat with her. I couldn't tell which emotion she was feeling but I took the globe and hugged her.

"What's wrong?" I asked stroking my thumb across her cheek.

"Remember when I gave this to you?" her eyes filled up, "that day. That day I wanted you to come with me." I stared into her eyes and listened to her words. "I knew that I would have to leave you behind. And I wasn't sure if I would ever see you or the girls again. I hated walking out of this room that day knowing that I wasn't strong enough to tell you what I feel for you. That was the hardest thing for me. And knowing that I put you in danger… all of you, I can never forgive myself."

"Hey, hey listen," I said trying to comfort her, "this was not your fault. It was your sister doing all those things to us." She began sobbing uncontrollably, so I grabbed her and wrapped my arms around her. Her cries were muffled into my jacket and I squeezed her tighter. I can only imagine the things she went through. At least I had the girls through everything, but she was all alone. "I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again," I said as I kissed her head, "please stop crying, ok."

"I love you so much," she said looking into my eyes and I could that she really did. I won't ever get tired of her saying that to me.

"Let's get ready to leave," I said kissing her once more on the forehead. She smiled and we both headed downstairs. Two whole days with Alison – and the girls – I am really looking forward to this.


	4. Chapter 4 - Drive To The Cabin

Alison started the car while I loaded our bags into the trunk. Apparently she's too cute to carry luggage – she is. She giggled at me when I scoffed after slamming the trunk, exhausted. I couldn't help but grin at her. I wondered if everyone in love felt like this; completely relinquished of their own entirety. She captured my thoughts and I often centre them on her. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

"Are you gonna stand there all day," she smiled with the brightest twinkle in her blue eyes.

I laughed because she caught me staring again, "Well I needed to catch my breath seeing that I'm in charge of the labour for today." She threw her head back laughing and again I feel like I'm discovering new, phenomenal and beautiful sides to this girl. Seeing her so happy, so carefree, is something I plan to secure for the rest of her life; even if we aren't together.

A jumped into the car and we headed up to the cabin. As we left the Rosewood welcome sign, Ali looked at me. Even without looking back I could feel the sting of her stare on the side of my face. And I hesitated to look; eventually sneaking a quick glanced. I furrowed my eyebrows at the intensity of her gaze.

"What is it, Ali?" I questioned confused.

"You know… we don't have to go to the cabin," she spoke with the smell of spontaneity on her breath.

"What?" I laughed; intrigued but more worried.

"We never have to go back," she breathed, sounding so into the idea that it terrified me, "we can just go, to wherever you want… Paris… like we talked about."

I smiled awkwardly, playing it off as if she was joking but I could tell she was really serious about it. I took my eyes off the road at looked her in the eye. Slim silhouettes of tree trunks ran behind her as we cruised further away from home. I had no idea what to say her because a part of me wanted to say yes, only because I knew that I would have her all to myself.

"What about your family, our friends, your sister?" I asked, "You really want to leave it all behind." What I truly wanted to ask was what we were going to do for food, housing, school and how we would explain to our family and friends that we basically eloped.

"I'm sorry," she said defeated, "it's a stupid idea. I just really wanted to see you on top of the Eiffel Tower." She stroked my face as she said it and then looked out the window.

"Ali," I could tell that she wasn't being as forthcoming with me as she wanted to, "don't do that. Don't shut me out, please."

"I'm not shutting you out, Em." She claimed.

"Yes! You are!" I shouted surprising her, "look I'm sorry but I'm really gonna need you to stop treating me like I'm just a piece in your puzzle. Why do you always pull back like this? Why do you keep me at arms' length? I love you… more than anyone. I'm never gonna hurt you the way others do. Why do you feel like you can't trust me? Why can't you just let me in?" When I was finished I could tell that that was a loaded response with a lot a lot of built up emotions.

By the hitching in her breath, I know that she was about to cry. I was too worked up to comfort her. All I wanted in that moment was her answers because I couldn't allow myself to love her wholeheartedly if she can't let me get close to her.

"I don't mean to," her voice was shaking while she spoke, "I'm not accustomed to putting my guard down, for anyone."

"I'm not just anyone Alison. I'm in love with you. I would do anything for you," I said calmly with my eyes glued to the road.

"I know. I'm sorry, Em," she gave a half smile and placed her palm on my lap. "I just wanted to fast forward to a time where I could…" she paused, considering whether she should open up to me, "Where I could just be with you. You know? Without all the drama, like college and our parents and…"

"And what Ali?" I pressed lightly.

"And people talking," I could see from the corner of my eyes that her head was bowed in a type of sadness. I exhaled loudly, not knowing what to attack first. She basically just stated every hurdle we'd have to overcome. Usually normal couples have a few easy, carefree months before running into problems but as I established, Alison is anything but normal and being with her is an absolute ride you cannot prepare for. I wouldn't have it any other way but it is stressful; besides we aren't even a couple… yet, anyway.

"Are you shamed of being with me?" I tackled the toughest hurdle first, "Because of me? Or because I'm a girl?"

"Of course I'm not! I could never be ashamed of you," she slammed, "I just don't how to deal with people talking about us and wondering if I'm…"

"Gay?" I asked, more so because she couldn't get the word out, "Are you… Ali?"

"I honestly don't know," she laughed it off; "I've never felt attracted to another girl before. And even now other girls don't attract me. But you do… And I don't know if it's because I'm in love with you." She smiled at me. I didn't know how to swallow that answer because in the 'Lesbian World', we're warned about girls like her that dated guys all their lives and get attracted to one girl who they think they want to spend the rest of their lives with but it only turns out to be a phase; a sexual experiment. And then the lesbian ends up wet in the rain, slumped in front of their doors in tears.

"Are you sure about this," I asked placing my hand in hers; "I'm not just some experiment, am I?"

"I've never been surer about anything, in my life," she said as she squeezed my hand, "I have never felt this way about anyone; male or female," I could tell that she was fascinated by her feelings for me and it stroked my ego to think she was uncontrollably attracted to me even though she wasn't really gay.

I decided to rest the awkward topic for now. A few minutes into ride her hand slid from my lap to my thighs. _What's she tryna do, make me crash?_ I looked at her trying to hide my weakness. She then gave it a gentle squeeze. The heat from her palm radiated to places that it shouldn't while I was manoeuvring on the winding roads. Luckily there was no traffic.

"What are you doing?" I asked shyly avoiding her eyes.

She slid her hand between my legs painfully slow causing me to jerk my foot on the gas. She pulled it away realising that I would definitely crash into the woods if she'd continued. We both laughed at my incredibly uncool responses to her sexual advances on me. "You know, you have yet to repay me for the other day," she said seducing me instantly.

I pulled over to the side of the road much to her surprise. But I could tell that she wouldn't oppose my decision. It was either pull aside or crash the car because I knew Alison wouldn't have stopped teasing me. The car was dark; bright enough for light to bounce off of her steely, blue eyes. And they were heated, and calling out to me. We didn't rush it. I looked at her the same she looked at me and I realised that staring into each was something characteristic of our relationship – something beautiful and strange, but we saw each other, I mean really _saw_ each other when we did.

"Kiss me," she softly requested and met my lips halfway. She tasted sweet; always did. I ran my hand through her thick curls, drawing her closer and making the kiss harder. Kissing Alison was an art that I really enjoyed being a part of. We were totally in synced whenever our bodies met. The kiss turned wild making us both moan into each other. It was lip biting, hair pulling, breasts squeezing goodness that neither of us wanted to stop. She climbed over to my seat and on top of me; reclining my seat while she stuck her tongue in my mouth. I bit it, hard; forcing her to pull away but with my hand filled with her golden hair, I pulled her back into the kiss. That seemed to really turn her on.

Eventually, we made it to the backseat where I was now on top. She stretched out beneath me like a prey waiting to be devoured. I stripped her down to her bra and panties letting her know that I was going to do whatever I wanted to her. She loved it. I kissed her neck replacing some with bites and her body wormed more and more the harder I did it. I placed my left knee beside her on the seat and my left hand used the car-door for balance. I slid my other hand into her panties while I kissed her neck. She moaned so good making me wet but it was her time right now and I was determined to repay my debt in full.

I circled her clit with my middle finger so slowly that it tortured her; I could feel her gripping my shoulders. I kept going making her moans louder and louder and she could have been as loud as she wanted because we were miles away from anyone. She was so loud that it echoed in the car. I yanked her bra up just enough for her pink nipples to poke out and sucked on them while I sped up my circles between her legs. "Oh my God, Emily!" she struggled to say and I know I had her. She pulled on my hair when I bit her nipples; her back arched and her head thrown back. She shut her legs around my hand as she came, hard all over my backseat. She let out to most weakening cries that turned my body to fire and I held her tightly for a second and kissed her for two. Her body was jelly in my arms and her eyes were showed her exhaustion but I wasn't done.

Before she could lose that delicious sensation between her legs, I stuck my finger inside of her; deep inside of her making her rise up in shock. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder for leverage and I ploughed into her making her eyes roll to the back of her head. I kissed her stifling her moans, trapping them inside of her. I could feel her tighten around my finger and I know she was about to orgasm again so I stuck another finger in and increased the pace. She looked so beautiful in this much agony that I almost didn't want her to break so quickly. She bit down on her lip so hard that it started bleeding and she came undone locking me into a hug and then falling back onto the seat. I pulled my hand out and kissed her but she couldn't participate in it.

I fixed her clothes and re-dressed her before getting into the front seat. She went right to sleep so I left her in the back as I headed back on track to the cabin. I was so pleased with my work because she didn't wake up until we got there. When I pulled up I could see the girls through the windows. They had already started drinking and I could hear the laughter from the car. I parked and looked back at my gorgeous babe and smiled. She was all shades of beautiful.


	5. Chapter 5 - Cabin Fever

"Hi!" Aria ran out first and gave a quick hug; Spencer and Hannah then followed.

"What took you guys so long to get up here? When you texted me it was 6:35. It should've only taken like 30 minutes, 40 tops for you guys to get up here," Spencer questioned rattling my calmness. I shrugged it off to making some quick stops along the way.

After dropping my bag at the door, Alison soon came out of the car and waved at the girls. She flashed that hundred watt smile making us all remember why she was the queen bee of Rosewood. Moments like that give her such a paranormal aura it was so surreal to see her sometimes; remembering that we thought she was dead. Spencer went down to help Alison lock up whilst the rest of us walked indoors to get settled.

"I didn't know Ali was coming," Hannah said looking at me with that dramatic look as if Alison being here wasn't a good idea. Even though we all made apologies to each other, the group dynamics had been thrown off a lot since Alison's return. We barely ever are in the same room together so the pressure to establish hierarchy was never an issue.

"Of course Ali's gonna come, it's a girls weekend," Aria attacked Hannah, "we're all best friends." Aria looked at Hannah confused as to the meaning behind her statement. Hannah glanced at me defeated and then looked at her hands in her lap before heading over to the kitchen.

Alison and Spencer walked in shortly after and came into the living area where the rest of us were. Ali sat opposite me, crossing her legs and, ever so often, hitting me with flirtatious eyes. I tried my best to remain unanimated while we enjoyed each other's company. But I must admit that she chose a great seat, that way I get to glance at her all evening without effort.

"What are we eating this weekend?" Hannah asked obviously.

"Well, since I'm the only good cook…" Spencer trailed before Allison interrupted.

"Really now?"

"Oh yeah, Ali's back!" I shouted, "So we no longer have one amazing chef in the group."

We were all laughing and having an amazing time. It was just like old times except Ali wasn't her mean, self-centred self anymore. She was kind of reserved the entire evening; being filled in on all she missed. All the school drama, boyfriend drama and the changes we all went through while she was gone. Now that A was gone we had a lot to catch her up on. It was nice seeing her laugh with the girls; listen to them and not dominate the conversation. She really has changed. I loved this Ali a lot more than the old one and I think she liked it too.

"So now that you guys have options," Spencer joked, "who's cooking tonight?"

"You can go ahead Spence, think I'm gonna take a walk," Alison smiled, "Hannah care to join?" Hannah rolled her eyes and cracked the fakest little smile. I could tell that this wasn't going to end well at all so I volunteered to crash the walk but Ali wanted to go with Hannah only. She grabbed her coat out of her bag and they both proceeded out the door.

"What do you guys think that's about that?" Aria's eyes widened awaiting my response.

"I honestly have no idea," Spence stated whilst setting up her ingredients, "you never know with those two. I just hope they don't start a brawl in the middle of the woods."

"Hannah's been having a really tough time with Ali's return. I know they both have a lot of issues with each other," I offered up with the look of worry in my eyes.

"Yeah... Ali was horrible to Hannah," Spencer chimed in, "to all of us. I think we all have a lot of issues to deal with. If anything I'm next up for that walk."

"She isn't the same person anymore," I pleaded on her behalf.

"We can all see that," Aria said, "I mean she did a complete 180 and now she's… she's nice and easy to get along with. Do you guys think it's an act or did whatever she went through make her like this?"

We all went silent and our personal renditions on what Alison experienced on the run, played out in our minds. She never really told us everything that happened to her while she was away. Only the things that came up due to questions but an actually timeline was never discussed and I guess finding out what really happened could help us to understand her.

"Either way I'm happy she learnt her lesson," Spencer coldly said, "I mean I regret the horrible things she went through but it made her a better person." She looked at me to see whether I agreed with her or not. I did.

"You know Mona always says that people never really do change. When they show you who they really are the first time you better believe it," Aria stated, much to my annoyance.

"So we listen to Mona now?" I snapped, "You know I'm tired of talking about Ali behind her back. She's here and she's fine and so are we. I suggest that we just get used to it and quit dissecting everything. Spencer and Aria looked at each other in shock; not because I was defending Alison but because I got so heated. "Remember the last time we listened to Mona. Look I'm done with this." I grabbed my bag and headed to one of the cabin rooms.

Alison and Hannah walked out to the lake and sat near its bank. They barely said a word to each other the entire walk there. Hannah tossed pebbles into the water out of total boredom and Alison looked at her trying to think of what she could say.

"Is there a reason you brought me out here?" Hannah asked with attitude.

"Yeah, there is." Ali replied smiling, "I'm not gonna kill you, if that's what you were wondering."

Hannah flashed half a smile and continued tossing the tiny rocks into the shimmering water causing a myriad of ripples in the lake. "Why did we come out here Ali?" she calmly asked looking straight ahead.

"Do you hate me Hannah?"

"Ali…"

"No, don't… Be that brutally honest person that I know you are," Alison requested in a serious tone.

"I do. I _hate_ you," she answered. It didn't take long for tears to swell up in her eyes. She was looking Ali right in her face as she said it. Alison nodded – her eyes began filling also – and cracked a tiny smile.

"I know," she said and turned her body to face Hannah's, "I've been horrible to you. I've said horrible things to hurt you and drag down your confidence about yourself and there is no excuse for that. I know what I did. I am so, so, sorry Hannah. I hate myself to." Tears rolled down the sides of her face as she spoke. Hannah wiped hers off immediately after they fell. Show no weakness is what she learnt from Alison. "I loved you all and played with all of you like you were my little dolls, just like my sister did," she shook her head in disbelief, "I really loved you guys. I really did. I wanted you guys to be strong and ruthless and not take any crap from anyone. I wanted it so bad for you guys because… because I couldn't be those things. Even though I acted like I was. You guys have no idea what I've been through and I don't mean while I went Rosewood rogue but right in this Godforsaken town."

"What are you talking about Ali?" Hannah asked in a monotone, her voice strained from crying. She could tell that Alison had been hurt badly in cycles that she could never really begin to understand.

"That's another story for another time," Ali smiled and placed her hand on Hannah's knee, "I just want you to know how sorry I am, Hannah. No matter why I did it, I know I hurt you and I am sorry. I'm different and I really love this person I've become. I'm asking you if you think maybe you can learn to like this person and forget who I was."

"I can never forget who you were Alison," she looked her cold in the eyes. Alison looked down at her hands disappointed, "I can forget how you made me feel. You broke me. You made me hate myself. And the things we did for you... The people we hurt for you… I can… never… forget."

"It's ok if we can't just go back to where use to be," Alison said folding her lips trying to hide the heartbreak, "I understand… I do. Honestly, I'd be surprised if you could ever be friends with me again, after all of this."

"I wasn't done," Hannah said reaching for Ali's hand, "Alison, I know that you're sorry and in some twisted way I get why you were hard on all of us. We don't know everything that's going on with you so you're gonna have to understand that until you let us in, we can't really get closer. I mean if you really have changed, I'm happy for you. And despite how psychotic our relationship was, we've all been through horrible things together and you risked your life for us, vice versa. We wouldn't be doing these things if we didn't love you. I'm glad that you apologized." They both hugged each other smiling sweetly; if only the others could see.

"Look at you though. You're confident, you look amazing. You really turned into a little badass on me haven't you?" Alison joked with that sassy humour they've all missed.

"That's thanks to you. And 'A' or Charlotte or Charles, whatever," she laughed, "And Mona. Without surviving everything we've all survived, I don't think we'd all be the people we are today."

"Well, I for one am happy with this 'ending'," Alison smiled. The girls both got up and walked back to the cabin, laughing and talking all the way back.

By the time they arrived at the cabin, Spencer had just finished up with the pasta and fresh bread. I had fallen asleep in bed. They burst through the doors laughing about some fashion disaster and the others were pleasantly surprised by the interaction between the two.

"Wow that must have been some walk," Spencer teased whilst setting the table, "or did you guys do a little puff, puff, pass without us."

"What you should be worried about is whether you made enough pasta because I am starving," Hannah said whilst walking towards the table.

"Where's Em?" Ali asked; of course immediately noticing her absence.

"Oh… umm," Aria answered nervously, "s-she went inside for a little while."

"Oh… ok I'll tell dinner is ready," she smiled.

When she entered the room I was spread across the bed in deep sleep. She stood for a little while beneath the frame of the door admiring me as I slept. I felt when she sat on the bed beside me and ran her hands through my hair. She tucked the loose strands that covered my face behind my ear and leaned in, kissing me gently on the cheek.

"Hey," she whispered with that milky voice that had no chance of waking a baby, far less for someone that could use her voice as a lullaby. She kissed me again, this time softly; shaking my shoulders. "Babe," she called out a little louder. My eyes flickered opened to reveal the blonde beauty looking over me. Her gorgeous curls brushed over my arms and those great blues looked through me. I want to wake up to that every morning. "Dinner's ready sleepy girl," she said and kissed me again.

"Oh my God, what time is it?" I asked while I rubbed my eyes, "When did you get back? How long was I asleep for?"

"How can one person be this cute?" she said looking at me with so much love in her eyes, "You are really beautiful." She said caressing my face. Her hands were cotton against my skin. I can't fall harder for any one person like I keep falling for this girl. "You're gorgeous," she grinned at me and I really couldn't hold a candle to Alison's beauty but having her say these things to me, really makes me feel beautiful.

"So I take it you're staying in this room tonight?" I flirted innocently, "why don't you try out the bed with me right now." She blushed and folded her arms across her lap as if she had to 'will' them not to touch me. She bit her lips fighting her smile and I sat up and forced her to try that much harder to control her hands. I leaned in closer to her lips; so close that I grazed it only through us both shaking. Her eyes flicked between my eyes and my lips. That's how she always asked me for permission – it was so freaking hot. I could feel my heartbeat race and her breath hitched each time our lips grazed. When she could no longer take it she smashed her mouth against mine sucking the life out of my lips. The door popped open and it was Aria coming in to remind us about dinner. She gasped when she realised what was going on, "I-I'm sorry," she closed her eyes the minute she saw us, "dinner's ready." We pulled away faster than two negative ends of a magnet and she shut the door as quickly as she opened it. _Here we go._


	6. Chapter 6 - Coming Out Party

"Do you think she saw us?" I foolishly asked hoping that Ali would say yes and put me out of my misery.

"She basically joined in," Alison smiled and I was confused as to how she was taking this so lightly. She stood up from the bed and looked around at me subtly suggesting that we go outside.

"You wanna go out there? Shouldn't we talk about what we're gonna say? Do you think Aria already told them?" I rambled; my brain running laps.

"Come on," she smiled stretching her hands out to me, "would you come?" I really had no clue why she was so relaxed about this situation. Nevertheless, of course, I followed her lead. She pulled me close; that teasing smile still etched on her face, "Relax," I averted my eyes looking down and she stooped to find them, "they're our friends. We don't have to hide from them." She grounded me so easily; it was kind of annoying the power Alison held over me. I loved her so damn much.

She led me out of the room and into the living room. The girls were sitting around the table; we weren't sure if Aria said anything or not but she definitely avoided looking at us. We stopped short of the sofa and looked at each other to see who would begin talking first.

"What's up with you guys," Hannah asked raising her brow. She looked at the others to see if they picked up on the awkward vibe we were both giving off.

"Guys, there's something we have to tell you," Ali started. Spencer and Hannah's eyes zoned in – given the horrors A put us through, starting any sentence with that, scared the hell out of everyone. Aria's eyes were wide open and buzzing around because she already knew what we were going to say.

"What is it Ali?" Spencer asked with worry riding her tone.

Alison looked back at me and stretched her hand out again. I looked at her and then at the girls. I hesitated for a moment because I knew that if I took her hand that everything was going to change – there was no turning back. I looked at her eyes, I never learn, and I grabbed her hand. Aria could no longer hold back her grin.

"Guys…" Ali paused; I was riddled with nerves, "Emily and I… We've… She and I…" She started so well but she couldn't get it out. She panicked and looked at me again; those blue pools begging me to help. I pressed my lips together and I went for it.

"We're together!" I blurted out and bit my lip right after. The girls looked at each other and then at us. The silence was so loud that you could feel it. Hannah started laughing, confusing Ali and me.

"Are you kidding?" she laughed, barely hold her head up, "it was so obvious!" Spencer and Aria joined in, and Ali and I were so shocked that we started laughing too.

"Y-You guys knew?" I asked.

"Come on guys," Spencer laughed, "the way you look at each other, those little handholding moments, the hugs." I had no idea we were so obvious.

"Why didn't you guys tell us sooner?" Aria asked, "I really did not need to walk in on that."

"Wait what?!" Hannah shouted, laughing hysterically.

"Yeah, I walked in on them making out!" Aria shouted over her laughter.

"No wonder you took so long to wake her Ali," Spencer teased.

"We weren't making out," I said a little embarrassed. Alison giggled and put her arm around my waist. It was finally out and who better than with our best friends. We all sat down and had an amazing dinner. The five of us couldn't have been happier. I had everything I ever wanted; my four best friends, the girl of my dreams and A was finally gone. Life was good.

After dinner, we had already killed off five bottles of wine and we were all buzzed. Aria passed out on the couch and Hannah drew a penis on the side of her face. Spencer brought out her parents' 1928 Old Scotch and we all got wasted. 20 minutes into the bottle, Spencer had already drunk-dialled Toby. Hands down the most disgusting conversation I had ever heard; bearing the phrases 'big daddy', 'sexy cop', and 'dirty holster'. I was checked out after the last one. Being the most sober for a change, I got to watch Alison lose her mind over how beautiful her hair was. She was like a little kitten playing with the strands of her golden hair.

Hannah forced Caleb to come out to the cabin and the two of them disappeared for the rest of the night. Alison put on some music and we were all dancing and laughing. Amazingly, Aria stayed asleep until the next morning. By the time the bottle was empty, Spencer had been running around the house playing 'where's A'. The party suddenly turned annoying because I was the only available one to get her back inside; what was most annoying was that I had to leave Alison. 15 minutes later I put Spencer in bed – muddy clothes and all.

When I went back into the living room, Alison was gone. A million irrational things popped into my head which scared me to the core. I had never experienced _Drunk Ali_ before but I kicked myself because I knew that alcohol eats away at your inhibitions and an Alison free of sense, is a dangerous Alison. She could be headed to Paris on foot by now. I took to the woods, running frantically and calling out to her. I have never sweated that much before.

"Ali!" I screamed at the trees. There was no answer. It was completely silent and I started to freak out for a second until I heard giggling coming from the direction of the lake. _Oh Thank God._ I ran out to the lake and there she was, at the edge of the boardwalk. My heart raced because she was half naked and ready to jump. I raced to her shouting in a stern voice, "Alison, no!"

She spun around; her hair flung with her - I could swear this all happened in slow motion. I would have stood there admiring her beauty but she was about to do something really stupid. Those waters were freezing and she was already drunk. By the time I got onto the boardwalk, she smiled at me and jumped. I stood at the edge waiting for her to float back up. She didn't come up so I dived in after her. The water was black and icy, and I was scared out of my mind because I couldn't find her. I dived again. I saw the golden curls dancing beneath the water and I swam too her.

I pulled her up; her head flopped back onto my shoulders. "Ali," I shook her roughly. She spat up some water and started coughing. I took off my coat and placed it over her half-naked and trembling body. She opened her eyes and looked up at me; struggling to keep them open. "Alison," I cupped her face with both my hands, "you scared me to death. Why would you do that?"

She laughed, obviously still drunk. "I wanted you to rescue me," she said running her palm from my forehead to my chin, "besides, the water looked amazing."

"I gotta take you home and get you cleaned up," I said whilst pulling her off the ground. She hopped on my back and we went back to the cabin. As we got to the door, she hopped off and dropped the coat.

"I'm cold… can we use the hot-tub for a bit," she asked, flashing those beautiful eyes at me. Her hair was muddy and wet and she'd never looked more attractive – of course I said yes. We went around back and I started the hot-tub. She climbed in before it could even heat up.

"Ali, what are you doing that water isn't heated," I asked.

She looked at me and started unhooking her bra. "So then get in here and help me make it warm enough," she smiled basically forcing me in. This really has to stop. She cannot get her way every time she shows me those blue eyes or throws sex at me. I got undress, dropping my wet clothes on the floor and climbed into the tub.

"You are so hot," she said biting her lips at the opposite side of the hot-tub. She dunked herself into the water and rose up squeezing the water from her hair. I stuck to the wall and looked at her every, seductive move.

She moved in closer to me and rubbed up against my body. I could feel her bare boobs slide on my skin. I don't even know why I bother resisting anymore. She kissed me and I could taste the scotch on her lips. My hands slid all over her wet, vanilla skin and just like that we were all over each other. She climbed on top of me; wrapping her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck.

"Alison, do you really wanna do this in Spencer's hot-tub?" I asked but I already knew what she wanted.

"I love you Emily," she said before taking my lips again. She was so good at driving me crazy. The world just seems to disappear whenever I'm with her. She has every piece of me at her will. She unhooked my bra and we stuck our naked bodies together. The water was warm and the bubbles made it 10 times better. I devoured her in that tub, that night. I wonder if she'll remember anything in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7 - Morning After

The smell of burning sausage woke everyone from their post-drunkard slumbers and had them pouring into the kitchen, one by one. Of course, being the only person without a hang-over, I had to get up and prepare breakfast. First in was my blonde bombshell; sauntering in with squinting blue eyes.

"Good morning babe," I politely greeted her and – to what probably sounded like horns at a parade – she blocked her ears like a little kid. To be honest, I felt no sympathy after what she put me through last night. I purposely banged the pots and pans too, as a gift to the others.

"Why did you get out of bed?" she asked making pouted lips and directing her hypnotic eyes in at me. As if it wasn't obvious enough, I smiled and ignored her question.

"The better question is, what do you remember from last night," I stated; eager to hear her recant her version.

She combed through her messy, majestic mane and folded her lips trying hard to remember anything at all. "Umm… I remember dancing… being wet and hot at the same time… I remember getting tucked in with warm, cosy sheets… you wrapping your arms around me… That's about it," she grinned and walked around the table where she was now two feet away from me; propped up against the counter.

"Really?" I furrowed my brows, "that's all you remember?" I turned around and distributed breakfast into plates so that everyone could just grab theirs and go. I could feel her slowly become uneasy because she knew that there was more to last night that I wasn't saying. I enjoyed making her squirm.

"Emily," she called out to me calmly, "what aren't you telling me?"

I turned around failing to hide my amusement. I shook my head with the biggest smile on my face and her gaze started catching fire. Before I knew it, we were having an entire conversation with our eyes and undoubtedly, she won me over. As I began to fill her in, she hopped up on the counter. _The dirty thoughts I had at that moment_.

I laughed and walked over to her; so close that her legs fell along my sides. "Ali," I said trying to contain myself, "you got so wasted last night. You basically ran into the woods by yourself. I was so scared that something had happened to you. When I finally found you, you were half-naked by the lake and then you dived in. I had to save you."

Her eyebrows were sky-high and a smile of embarrassment drew on her face. "Is that all that happened?" she said biting her lip innocently.

"Basically," I lied.

"Really, Em?" she asked again slipping her fingers into my pants' loops and pulled me in closer; jamming my stomach against her. I was a blushing buffoon but one that denied.

"Yeah, pretty much," I smiled but I knew she knew.

"So," she took my hair and tucked it behind my ear, "we didn't do anything, anything at all?" She had such a flirtatious tone in her voice that I could barely stand still while she spoke. She put her cheek beside mine; strands of her gold hair skated across my face; and she whispered, "I think you're lying."

Her lips grazed the lobe of my right ear as she repeated every filthy thing we did in that hot-tub last night. And while she was telling it, her hands crawled into my pants, wasting no time and heading straight for that sweet spot that she seemed to find with ease. I exhaled in sinful ecstasy, tossing my head back. The vibrations of her lewd words shot into me like bullets as she brought me so much bliss. And just like that is was over, timed with the interruption of Hannah and Caleb stumbling into the living room.

"Oh my God, last night was amazing," Hannah gleamed and then slapped Caleb on the ass.

"Aghhh that looks greats," Caleb said as he entered the kitchen and picked up a plate for him and Hannah. I tried my best to recapture a regular look on my face but it was so hard due to Ali's playful grin. _I swear, she doesn't give a damn if they knew what we were doing._ As he left us alone again, I covered my face thanking the stars that he didn't see Alison's hands down my pants, or the look of premature apex etched across my face. Alison seems always amused by my reactions to these things.

"Is there anymore left?" Aria walked in and asked, Ali and I totally lost it when we realised that the penis drawing was still on her face. She looked at us like we were crazy but we figured we shouldn't spoil the fun by pointing out to her the flaw in her make-up. She grabbed a plate and walked into the living room with the others.

"What the hell Aria?" shouted a groggy Spencer as she struggled to laugh and manage her hangover simultaneously, "Did you miss Ezra that much? Why is there a penis on your face?" The entire room filled with violent laughter when Aria finally came across Hannah's artwork.

"Oh God!" she exclaimed, "Hannah I'm gonna kill you!"

"Wha! How do you know it was me?" Hannah showed a confused yet amused look while Aria glared at her, smudging the ink around her cheeks. _Hands down the funniest moment for the morning_.

I laughed out enjoying the show and Alison looked at me, just soaking it all up. I could almost feel her happiness with that one look. While Hannah and Aria tussled on the sofa, we had our meal in the kitchen, away from the commotion. Being the new couple that we were, we fed each other. Honestly, any excuse to put my hands in her mouth would do. I cannot explain how sexual the entire thing was. Me putting food in her mouth and her sucking on my fingers every chance she got.

The plan for the day was to head out to the beach. I suggested that alcohol be absent on this occasion. Spencer and Alison teamed up to prepare lunch for the trip, Aria and I gathered essentials and Hannah and Caleb took two cars out to fill up on gas. By the end of getting everything packed and ready, everyone was exhausted and we almost cancelled the entire thing.

Nevertheless, we hit the roads in search of the perfect beach. When we got there, the others raced into the water leaving Alison and I to unpack the food. We had enough waterworks for the weekend so we stayed on the sand. I must say I enjoyed the way the sun hit her milky skin. Her bikini gripped the best parts of her body as she lay on a beach chair next to me.

"Oh this, I've missed this," Alison said soaking up the beautiful warmth of the sun.

"Did you put on sunscreen?" I nagged forcing her out of tranquillity. She looked at me with teasing eyes or maybe it was innocent and I took it as more.

"I never put on sunscreen," she curled her plump, red lips. I raised a brow in confusion, "someone always does that for me."

"You are such a spoilt little brat," I smiled and fished the sunscreen from my bag. I squeezed out a significant amount in my hands and glide it along her smooth skin, "you love toying with me, don't you?"

When I was finished, she turned around facing me. The sun made her eyes look beach green, so beautiful. "Do you need me to put some on you," she glared seductively at me, awaiting my answer.

"Unlike some people, I'm perfectly fine doing things for myself," I teased.

"You didn't seem to think so last night," she lashed back making me feel embarrassed. My mouth dropped open scrambling for a good response but I was trumped. So I just smiled and rubbed the sunscreen on my skin. I squirted some on my exposed stomach and slowly rubbed it in. Her eyes became alert and followed my hands as it trailed all over my body. I could tell how much it turned her on so I took extra-long. "Who likes toying with whom?" she asked lying on her side and facing me directly. The beach just seemed to fade away with faint sounds of the others having fun in the water.

"Are you gonna stare at me all day?" I blushed and directed to her.

"Do you want me looking somewhere else?" she smiled, "I like looking at you."

"Really," I asked, my cheeks started burning from all the blood rushing to it.

"You honestly have no idea how gorgeous you are, I fixate on you all the time," she said but I thought that that was my job.

"So," I started with a higher than usual pitch; attempting to change this subject before it leads to a bad place, "when was the last time you came to the beach?"

She exhaled deeply and smiled, "The last time I saw the beach was on a boat with Cece and Wilden." Surprisingly, she had a subtle smile while she reminisced. "We had a lot of fun together, that summer. I got so tanned – we spent a lot of time on that boat. Half of it I don't even remember. Her eyes assumed a deep sadness but the smile stayed on her face. I regretted asking the question because the last thing I want to do is remind her of her past.

"We don't have to talk about this, Ali," I said assuming her expression.

"I know," she washed the emotions to the back of her mind and in a flash she was back to being her normal, flirty self, "I like sharing my stories with you; even though they let you into the darkest times of my life. I'm happy now. I have a beautiful girlfriend and I have my friends back."

She winked at me before putting on her shades and she returned to her original position. I quickly scanned her body before doing the same. I could hear the laughter of the others in the water as they played some silly game. I haven't been this relaxed in a good while. We didn't talk for the rest of the time spent at the beach. I figured I'd leave her to her thoughts but I stole chances to adore her figure while having my own.

As the tide started rolling in, we headed back to the cabin for our last night there. Hannah and Caleb went straight for their bed but the rest of us stayed on the couch and watched an old movie. Alison curled up next to me and dozed off. She looks so adorable when she sleeps that it keeps me up sometimes whenever she spends the night with me. For a while I stopped watching the movie and just took in all of her beauty. I stroked her hair while she slept. I heard that it helps keeping nightmares away. I hated having to wake her up to get her in bed but I loved getting to lay beside her.


	8. Chapter 8 - Birthday Cake

I think we all needed that trip to the cabin that weekend but I, for one, couldn't wait to get home to the comforts of my room. A girl gets home-sick when her friends turn her into a babysitter and her girlfriend consumes all of her physical energy. Though I hated being away from Alison, I needed a break. She has become completely insatiable; I get no rest because she wants to go on and on and on. She's like a carnal beast since we got together. I mean I love having sex too but I'm starting to feel like I can't keep up with her.

I used the rest of my Sunday to catch up on some much needed sleep but in the blink of an eye, I was sitting to the back of my first period class with Hanna to the left of me and Aria and Spencer on my right. Alison kept texting me during class making it that much harder to pay attention. Need-less-to-say, I didn't get that much sleep because a certain blonde wasn't in bed next me.

"Is that Ali?" Aria asked; noticing my distraction by the phone. For every one of my responses, she followed up with a text.

"Em," Spencer called over Aria, "I think you should focus. You didn't do so well on that pop quiz last week. Tell Ali that she can wait till after school like the rest of our boyfriends."

"Ughhh I totally get it Em," Hanna leaned in, "that new, sexy relationship scent is all over you. Seriously, you look exhausted, I get it." She winked.

I had no energy to explain myself to the girls so I switched off my phone and dropped it in my bag. I gave what little I had left to the teacher and tried my hardest to stay awake. The bell rang for lunch waking me up in a pool of drool. The girls made faces of disgust as they gathered up their stuff. I was so out of it that I blanked through two periods. I dragged myself up and we all headed into the cafeteria. Alison had already gotten us a table.

"Wow," she said when she saw my face, "are you ok?"

I gave the best smile I could and flopped down on the benches. The others grabbed their lunches and sat next to us. I had no appetite but Ali forced me to have the other half of her sandwich.

"I hate the food here," Hanna said pushing her tray to the side.

"Oh, today's pooperoni pizza with a side of congealed blood, that they claim is jello, doesn't stimulate your taste buds," Spencer sassed. I had to laugh.

"The zombie lives," Alison teased. Does she even know that it's all her fault that I'm this beat? She is so lucky that she's a European goddess; maybe I'm the unlucky one - I literally cannot say no to her. "Anyways, my birthday's coming up…"

"I smell a party," Hanna interrupted.

"Is that really a good idea?" Spencer treaded lightly.

"Actually… I really didn't want to do anything this year," Alison stated; we were all kind of shocked. The year never goes by without an Alison Dilaurentis' birthday bash. Ali threw the biggest and the best parties; even better than Noel's.

"Wow Ali," Aria said, "this would be the first birthday you have without a party… well not considering the time you… went missing."

"What did you do for your birthday anyways?" Hanna coldly asked as if she was numb to the perception of awkward topics.

"Really, Hanna?" Spencer rolled her eyes, "Alison you don't… have to…"

Ali gave a graceful smile and looked down at her hands. She then looked at me and said, "I just rather spend time with you," realising the transparency of her lustful gaze, she quickly looked at everyone else, "all of you."

After school I asked the girl to help me pick out a gift for Ali. She went to visit her sister at the hospital that evening which was perfect. I had two days to pick out the perfect gift. I was never good at getting Alison presents, either I bought something from last season or I bought something she already had. But now that I'm her 'girlfriend', there's a lot more pressure to get her the right gift. I had no idea who I was shopping for – old Ali or new Ali; I had no idea if her tastes were polarized along with her personality. I'm sure that the others were thinking the same.

We all got to the mall and decided to shop together so that no one buys the same gift. Aria wanted to get her gift first and she took us to this amazing little trinket store called 'Girl's World'. Never have I ever seen so much pink in my life. Alison likes pink so I figured maybe I can get something here also.

"What do you guys think of this?" Aria asked holding up a French doll.

"We're back with the dolls again Aria?" Spencer asked. She had a point; dolls played an unusually large role in our interactions with A. The obsession with dolls, for me, was the creepiest part of the entire ordeal.

"Alison likes dolls," Aria defended widening her large, green orbs at Spencer's glares.

I left the two to argue and took a look around the place. At some point in time, Hanna abandoned us to go check out a clothes store. Just when I thought there was nothing of worth in this place, I stumbled upon a jewellery box. Now I know she already had a few, but this one was amazing. It had the Paris theme that I was absolutely sure she would adore. I opened up the box and the tower stood, a beautiful French lullaby sounded, and there were two, little women sitting beneath it eating croissants or some other French food. It was perfect. It was the next best thing to taking her on a trip to France.

Aria decided to buy her this gorgeous, four pendant locket. She planned to fill each pendant with photos of each of us with Alison. Hanna came in holding five bags filled with dresses. Yet only one of them was for Alison.

"How much of a discount did you get on all of those?" Aria asked. She was as shocked as the rest of us that Hanna could afford all of them.

"Let me know if you got the five finger discount so that I can keep my distance from you," Spencer joked, "I've seen enough police stations, to downgrade to mall lock-up would be an embarrassment."

"Guys I think I wanna get this for Alison!" I exclaimed excited about my gift. Their eyes brightened upon seeing the jewellery box.

"Ali has a ton of boxes," Hanna scoffed, "you are the worst at picking out gifts Em."

"No wait, hold on," Spencer walked over examining the box, "Alison doesn't have anything like this. Look at the quality of the woodwork. This is gorgeous Em." She popped it open and gasped, "wow, Alison will love this. This thing must cost a fortune." She was absolutely right. I was so in love with the fact that Ali would adore the gift that I completely forgot to check the price-tag. I would have to work doubles and overtime to be able to afford this gift on my own.

"We could all chip in and help you get it," Aria mentioned with her face drowning in pity.

"I can't do that," I said placing the box back on its display, "it's supposed to come from me." Hanna put her arms around me offing support as we walked out of the store. For the rest of the shopping, all I could think about was how happy she'd be when she saw the box. In times like this, I wish my family had Hastings' money. I want to be able to spoil her and give her everything she wants. _I am so in love with this girl; I have to get that jewellery box_!

Spencer led us into a bookstore and she headed straight to the book she wanted as if she had already planned to get it for Ali a while ago. It was some inspirational book that she was sure Alison would love. Ali liked reading so, to me, it was a really good gift.

"You know Em," Aria came up to me with that same look on her face, "for Ezra's birthday, I didn't have any money so I made something and he loved it. You don't have to _buy_ something." I gave a half smile thanking her for her support but I was determined to get that box.

The next couple of days, I killed myself working shifts. Some of the other workers were kind enough to give up their hours so that I could make up the money. I skipped school and I had to lie to Alison about the reason I was absent. The night before her birthday, I begged for an advance from my boss and with that plus the overtime money, I had enough to get the jewellery box for my queen.

I even had a little extra change and I decided to buy a beret and go along with the theme. I felt good about this gift. And I couldn't wait to show her. I went to bed more excited than I get at Christmas Eve. I planned to make the very best of Ali's birthday.


	9. Chapter 9 - 50 Shades of Alison

It's kind of off-putting how early I got up, when usually I have to drag myself out of bed. But today wasn't just any day, it was Alison's birthday. By eight o'clock I was dressed and ready to spend time with my beautiful blonde. I shot her the most romantic text, wishing her the happiest of birthdays and sharing my excitement about hanging with her later. She replied with a kissy emoji and tons off blushes and a winky face.

I tried calling the girls but none of them had even dreamed of waking this hour over vacation; then again I'm differently motivated to them on this day. The plan today was to meet Alison at her house and just kick back for the evening. The girls and I were planning on bringing over her favourite cake and a large tub of Chunky Moo to take us through an assortment of girly movies Ali picked out.

"Hello Emily," Mrs. Hastings greeted me at the door. She seemed so surprised that I'd be up this early seeing that school was out, "Spencer's still asleep. What do you girls have planned today?" She took a big sip out of her coffee and waited for my response.

"Well today is Ali's birthday and we were all gonna spend the day with her at the Dilaurentis' house," I smiled. She returned one and nodded her head. Mr. Hastings came down the stairs and they both headed out the door. In a zip, I was standing at the foot of Spencer's bed. Her phone was tucked beneath her head and I shuddered at the thought of another sexy phone call between her and Toby. "Spence," I shook her gently.

"Whaaaaaat," she whined like a little kid and scoffed when she saw it was me.

"Can you get up?" I asked; my voice swimming in excitement, "We gotta go get the stuff for Ali's birthday." I continued shaking till she got off the bed. She had a glazed, deadpan look in her eyes which I responded with a beaming smile. After getting her up and ready, we both went over to Hanna's.

Her mum had already headed out to work so we used the spare key to open the front-door. Regretfully, we burst into her room, only to find a half-naked Caleb big-spooning our friend. I did everything but puke.

"She is so lucky," Spencer whispered, "My dad would pop a vein if I had Toby overnight."

"I remember being this lucky… I had a lot of girls in my room before my parents knew I was gay," I replied.

Spencer walked over to Hanna's side and softly called out to her; trying very hard not to wake Caleb. She opened her pretty blue eyes and looked over at her lover. She then eased out of bed and crawled down to the kitchen.

"What the hell guys," she rubbed her eyes, "the chickens haven't even gotten up yet." We both narrowed our eyes at her expression.

"Don't blame me," Spencer defended gesturing the fault to me, "This freak woke me up too and basically forced me out of my house."

I rolled my eyes and sardonically said, "Can you just get dressed and let's pick up the cake and stuff?"

Hanna exhaled and grabbed some orange juice from the refrigerator. I stared wolfishly at her as she slowly drank it. Spencer called Aria on the phone while Hanna was getting dressed. Both Her and Aria entered Hanna's kitchen at the same time – Aria coming through the front-door and Hanna entering from the hallway.

"Guys, do you have any idea what time I got to bed?" Aria asked in monotone.

"Enough complaining, let's go," I ordered and we all left to get the things for Alison.

Later that evening we entered Ali's home to find her in the kitchen preparing us dinner. We all hugged her tightly and hilariously sung her 'Happy Birthday'. She wore on the cutest blushing smile while we sang. The girls laid out the stuff and waited for us in the living room.

"Why are you cooking," I stood beside her by the stove; shoving a kiss against her cheek, "it's your birthday, you should be relaxing. We bought food and your favourite cake."

She looked at me smiling softly; not saying a word but her eyes showed her gratitude. She stepped in front of me and tip-toed, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. She then returned to preparing the food. I pulled her back and kissed her again and she laughed.

"Emily, let me finish," she exclaimed, grinning, "just five more minutes and then we can get started… thank you… by the way, hun."

I gave a little smile and joined the others in the living room. We decided to light the candles on the cake and waited for her to enter. When she saw it, her eyes lit up alluringly and she blew them out after making a wish.

"What did you wish for?" Spencer asked.

"You're not supposed to tell, genius," Hanna retorted.

We placed our gifts on the table and enjoyed the rest of the evening we had planned. When the last movie ended, the girls started cleaning up and getting set to go. Alison held my hand as the girls headed for the door.

"Emily," she flashed her steamy eyes at me, "I hope it's okay; I asked your mum if you could spend the night." Immediately I got excited.

"Guys!" I shouted, "I'll be staying back ok?"

"Hmmmmm," Hanna teased, "have a happy birthday Ali."

"Try not to break the bed," Spencer joined.

We waved them goodbye and I shut the door behind me. Alison sat on the couch inviting me to join with her body language. I fell next to her and she grabbed for the presents we all bought. I watched her tear them open, all eager. She saved mine for last.

"Oh, I love this book," she beamed showing it to me. She rolled out the dress Hanna bought and stretched it out in front of her to get a better view of it. "How much did Hanna pay for this?"

"That's probably a question you should avoid asking Hanna," I replied jokingly. Her eyes narrowed, confused and amused by my statement. She adored the doll Aria bought upon sight. She got up and placed it in her room.

She came back down the stairs and sat down. "And now for the most important gift," she smirked. She unwrapped it slowly, peeling back the layers of gift paper. When she pulled out the box, I couldn't tell the expression on her face so I just kept watching as she explored the gift. She opened it, the song played and she passed her fingers along the artwork; admiring the style. "This is… I love it Em," she turned to me and hugged me, "How did you afford this, this is fine wood and a piece by Jabelle!"

"As soon as I saw it, I knew you would love it. And it even has the Paris theme that I was absolutely sure you would revere. It's like… something you can remember us by… that is… until we actually take that trip to France," I smiled and pulled the baret from my purse. I put it on and gave her a quirky, "Tadaaa! What do you think?"

She looked at me with surprise and awe on her face. "I think I really love you," her voice cracked as she said it. My clownish expression became serious and it was as if it was the very first time I'd heard her say it. And you could've guessed that we did that irritating thing where we stare into each other, only this time she ended it abruptly – when I was sure it would have ended with a kiss – by saying, "I'm gonna change. I have something I wanna show you."

She came back down wearing this season's trenchcoat. It cuddled her curves the way I wanted too. In her black stiletto pumps, she modelled down the stairs and waited at the door; urging me to come. When we got into the car, and looked at her waiting for an explanation. She punched the address into the GPS and told me to follow it.

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked awkwardly; very much intrigued by her spontaneity.

"I told you, it's a surprise," she responded.

"You seem to keep forgetting that it's your birthday," I replied while fixing a loose strand of her gorgeous hair back in place.

She smiled innocently and I just went along with it. When we got there, all I saw was a building much like a club. The windows were tinted but the walls were almost entirely made of glass. People were going in and out and there was a line to the side of it. _Did she really want to spend today at a club?_

She grabbed me by the hand and led me to the front of the line. I had the stupidest look on my face, kind of like a deer in headlights. She whispered something into the bouncer's ear and he let us in. I was brushed with a cool, refreshing air upon entry. There were people dancing and drinking under blue, neon lights. There were also exotic dancers on a stage. It was pretty tasteful, and I could tell that it was a place for elite trouble-makers.

We walked right passed that scene and a couple other rooms where people were getting private dances or just hanging back in VIP. I had no idea what we were doing here but I began to feel knots in my stomach. She turned to look at me once with reassuring eyes and that kilowatt smile and like that I was on a cloud drifting behind her.

We got to a room and she entered; dragging me in. It was empty; except for one chair that sat facing a stage. The room was lit with the same neon lighting as the rest of the club. _Did she bring me here to kill me?_

"It's my birthday… So you have to do what I say ok?" she said melting me with her sultry gaze. I nodded; swallowing a large gulp and looked briefly around the room once more. I hadn't noticed that she was carrying a bag until she placed it on the chair. I looked at her anxiously awaiting a clue as to what she wanted me to do.

She spun around and took off the trenchcoat and I almost died. Beneath it she wore on the sexiest bustier; her full breasts pouring out. It was black leather on lace and finished off with a black laced thong. Her gold curls drooped along her back and I had trouble deciding what part of her to stare at.

"A-Ali," it hurt to breathe and my eyes widened; my breathing staggering, "you look…" I was lost for words.

Her eyes were covered in a seductive glisten and she reached into the bag pulling out a black dress. It was short, much like a cocktail dress with a Spanish flare. "I want you to put this on." I hesitated and she pulled out a slim, leather riding crop whip. My mouth fell open and a tiny smile played across my face. "You can do what I say or I can _make_ you do what I say." This was straight out of a book at this point. The level of provocation was unreal. She had to be the hottest girl alive. When she spoke, with that dominant, breathy voice, I was numb and I could feel warmth swelling in that place.

I took the dress from her and took off my clothes then put it on. She tossed the bag on the floor and sat in the chair. _Oh my God!_ She was facing front so I walked around shyly; cupping my elbow. She looked at me head to toe and then glanced to her far right at a camera and gave a nod of approval. I was much too hypnotized to realise that I literally just got undressed with a camera pinned to the wall.

"Alison," I called out to her eager for her to fill me in on what was going to happen next. I was excited but I was nervous.

She never said a word until the music started playing. It was loud enough to drown out whatever nerves I had. The song that filled the room was Britney Spears' 'Slave for you'. Our eyes met and she gave a mischievous smirk. "I want you to dance for me," she said pointing to the pole on the stage. I hadn't even notice it. I looked at it, then back at her, asking her if she was serious, with my eyes.

She raised the whip from beside her and held the tip of it in her other hand. With both hands holding it, she raised her brows questioning why I wasn't already up on the stage. I gave her back a naughty smile and headed for the pole. I was great at dancing so I was no longer nervous. I started dancing. I looked up at her then down at my body; touching myself as I worked the pole. I could feel her eyes burning across the stage while I let my body mesmerize her.

I tossed my dark hair and spun around the pole a few times, grinding on it like it was her. I hiked up the dress each time I circled my hips. When I looked at her again, the lights bounced off of her eyes, illuminating the heat coming from them. She was biting her lips and enjoying me and I was happy to give her what she wanted. I walked off the stage and right up to her. She looked up at me completely seduced. I turned around and sat in her lap, letting my inner stripper do the rest. I kicked back my hair in her face and I felt her hands crawl across my body so I stopped her and got off, "No touching," I said and pulled the dress over my head.

I could hear her inhale and she relished my body with her eyes. I was down to my underwear; _thankfully they match_. I got down on my knees and started dancing again whipping my hair around and grinding on the floor. Keeping my eyes glued to hers, I crawled over to her like a dog and I parted her legs; my face between her. She took the whip and cracked it on my ass making me gasp in pleasure. She then placed the tip beneath my chin and urged me to stand. She stood with me and pulled me to the stage. Placing me in a position where my ass was exposed to her wishes; she struck me again. The third time she did it, I moaned out in agonizing pleasure. She spun me around and made me lie down, face up. She came on top of me and dropped the whip. Her eyes were larva pouring over my exposed body and she kissed me.

"What about the camera?" I said against her lips.

"Let them watch," she said kissing me again while her hands pleasured me. My hands played in her hair as she did her best work on my body. I was a mess beneath her; moaning above the music. We rolled around for a while, until we both got the job done; becoming stuck to the floor.

"Happy birthday Ali," I said looking across at her. We were both exhausted after the fifth round. I couldn't believe that we just had the wildest sex in front of strangers. I couldn't care less about anything when I'm with her. I have no words to describe the fulfilment that is Alison. She brings a lot out of me that I never knew I had. You would think that when we got back to her house that she'd want to go straight to bed. How wrong you'd be.


	10. Chapter 10 - Too Much Sex

It's safe to say I didn't get much sleep last night. Now that Ali's birthday has been celebrated in the way she wanted and has now passed, we could finally have that talk. When I woke up the following morning, the bed was empty; she liked waking up early. The smell of sizzling onions and garlic filled the entire house and it was possibly as tantalizing as the cook. As I entered the kitchen, she was pressed against the counter buttering toast. Her eyes were teared up and I could only assume it had been the fault of those awful onions.

"Hey," I called out to her gently, as not to startle her.

Her face lit up when she saw me. "Hi!" she exclaimed, "thought I should get breakfast started early. It's hostess 101." She had such an amazing glow this morning and I pat myself on the shoulder for that.

"I would rather wake up next to that face," I smiled and kissed her on the head. I could see the shadow of her grin beneath my chin. How can one person be this all-consuming beauty and now that she's changed, it's almost unfair to be as beautiful inside as one is out. _Am I not the luckiest person in the world?_

"What are you thinking about?" she blushed up at me; her blue as dancing back and forth between my eyes, "Do you wanna help me out?" I was now on chopping duty. I can tell that it made her a little uneasy because she and I both knew how distracted I can get when I'm near her.

Her hair was tossed to one side exposing her slender neck – a weakness for me. It took a lot for me to not lean in and plaster kisses all over it. Staring at her form; the sounds of faint slicing in the backing, I felt the hottest sensation followed by Alison gasping.

"Emily!" she alerted me, her eyes in shock. She grabbed the paper towel and damped it under the sink. When I looked down, blood was covering the chopped basil. I didn't really have time to react because my beautiful blonde came to the rescue. The pain seemed to slowly fade as I became more and more enchanted by her movements. I stared blankly at her while she tried stopping the blood. She wrapped my finger with the dampened towel and pulled me to the couch in the living room. "Sit there… put pressure on it. I'm gonna get the first-aid kit ok?" she was kind of freaking out a little, it made me feel special.

I sat alone downstairs with my finger throbbing against my palm. In her absence the pain returned and I was tempted to take a peek at it before I heard a disappointed sigh towards me. "Em, keep pressure on it," she said carrying a white and red kit.

She pulled out some disinfectant solution and dabbed a cotton-ball with it. She looked at me unwrapping the towel from my finger trying to gage the pain she was causing me. Her eyes were wide with sympathy, they were beautiful blue; heated with passion and pity. "Do I call you nurse now," I flirted.

"This is gonna sting a little," she said waiting a second for me to get ready before she dabbed the cotton-ball over the cut. I winced in pain and she removed it; blowing a cool, light breath over the stinging. Just the way her plump, pink lips pursed, made my breathing stop. She looked up at me again; this time with the sweetest smile and I became molten goo. "Is that better?" she asked putting a plaster over the wound.

"I love you," was all I could say to her. In such a tiny moment, I saw the rest of my life with Alison and I knew that I could never have it play out another way. I can never lose her again. That intimate scene quickly erupted at the beeping of the smoke alarm. It seems that we'd forgotten breakfast. After frantically clearing the smoke, we were left in laughter and a lot of mess to clean up.

"I'm sorry Em," she smiled at me.

"It's totally my fault. If I hadn't cut my finger…" I giggled.

"How did that even happen?" She said placing the burnt pans in the sink.

"You distracted me… with your beautiful neck. Your beautiful everything," I said gesturing at her body with my arms.

She blushed and continued clearing the kitchen. We both stole glances at each other as we cleaned up; blushing when our eyes met. The plan now was to get breakfast at the Brew instead. So we headed out deciding at the last minute to walk. This walk wasn't so different than the ones we use to have; except we were no longer pretending to be things that we truly wasn't.

"Do you remember taking this very walk three years ago? When you told me that you were planning to have sex with your boyfriend," she recalled giggling at me.

"Oh my God yes! I don't know what I was thinking with him. I mean I really cared about him but I never really felt for him the way I feel for you or any of my exes," I replied, completely unaware of how insensitive I just came off.

"Right, yeah I know about the many girls you've conquered with that sweet charm," she lovingly teased, "had I been here, I would've already snatched you up."

"Maybe not," I took a serious tone, "it took this horrible thing for you to honestly accept your feelings for me. If all of this never happened, I don't think you would've changed that much. I don't think you would've realised that you deserve love, my love. And I deserve yours. I probably would have gone on to hate you or pulled away from the group. I hate thinking that we owe everything we have become to A."

She stopped walking and I stopped also. "We don't owe anything to Charlotte. I was so stupid to not realise what I could've had with you. I think I was ashamed just a little bit but we get to make up for all of that right now." She pulled me toward her and kissed me gently. It was the first time we actually did the PDA thing; well, outside of a strip club. Those kisses still had the power to shut me down.

When we got to the Brew, we took a table outside. She slipped into her chair delicately and I sat with my arms crossed over my lap. I try very hard not to pay this much attention to Ali but it's so hard when she's so cute and the sunlight irradiates her features so well. She was looking back at me the exact same way. It felt like we were all alone in the entire world sometimes.

"One blue-berry muffin for you and an ice-tea, and… a croissant for you with a lemon splash latte," interrupted the waitress. We both smile and thanked her at the same time.

"So, did you enjoy your night with me?" Alison asked after taking a sip out of her latte.

"Of course I did," I answered with my mouth filled, "maybe next time we have a sleep over, we can actually sleep."

She blushed. "Maybe we can try that, or maybe we can just continue what we do." Her body language became insanely flirtatious.

"Yeah but we have sooooo much sex," I said unknowingly beginning the talk I was supposed to have with her since this morning. As comical as I tried to be, I could see her mood changing slowly.

"Oh," she raised her brows in realisation of something, "I thought… that was what you wanted… I-I didn't… It's definitely what _I_ wanted."

"Don't get wrong Ali," I scrambled to reassure her, "I love... _love_ making love to you. And when we do its amazing and so, so hot but… It's starting to become all that we do. I want to go out with you and do fun stuff together."

"So sex isn't fun?" she asked.

"Ali!" I exclaimed because she wasn't hearing me out.

"No, I'm sorry. I know what you mean," she said completely upset.

"Then why do you look so pissed at me," I asked reaching for her hand.

"You know what Em? I should've known better than to let this happen; to think that this would be anything different. I gotta go," she said swinging her purse over her shoulder.

"Ali… you're really overreacting right now. What do you mean this isn't different? What are we really arguing about, here?" I pleaded for her answer.

"I can't do this, I'm sorry," she replied avoiding my eyes and took off.

I was so shocked that it took a few minutes before I called the waitress to pay. I took off behind her. "Alison!" I called out to her but she didn't stop, "Ali, please!" She stopped the second time I called. When I caught up with her, I grabbed her by the arm.

"What Em?" she was in tears. I wiped her eyes and kissed her, so passionately that I could feel it weakening her. She pulled away from it eventually, "no! I can't do this. We can't do this."

"Look Alison, I know that this isn't about me saying that we have too much sex. What is this about?" I asked her again – still gripping her hands, "can we talk about this at your house?"

She nodded and we both awkwardly walked back to her house. The tension was so thick that I walked behind her. I could tell that this was going to be one of the biggest arguments that we were going to ever have and I wasn't anticipating it because I knew that we may come out of it without each other and that scared me.


	11. Chapter 11 - Deja Vu

She let me in the front door then I swear I heard her take a deep breath before she closed it. _This cannot be good, at all!_ My nerves hit another level while she walked over to the living room. I could see that it took a lot out of her to even look me in the eye; but she did and what I saw, I never wanted to see again. Alison had the saddest blue eyes I had ever seen and to think that I had something to do with sucking the light out of them, hurt me to the core.

"Ali," I looked up at her from the couch. She stood with her fingers intertwined in front of her, "what's wrong?" My voice stood heavy on the thinnest line – wobbling.

She took a while to answer. When she finally looked up from her hands, she said, "Emily… I don't know where to begin."

"How about you start with 'why you freaked today'," I suggested. The room was poorly lit, casting a faint shadow across her features. She was extremely difficult to read and I noticed that she kept a distance; refusing to sit on the couch next to me.

Standing a few feet from me, she began, "Hearing you say that we were basically each other's booty-call made me realise that this was a mistake…"

"Ali, I love being with you in that way, believe me. Did that really piss you off that much? I wasn't rejecting you or anything. I just wanna do other stuff with you and…" I started rambling because the look on her face scared me to death – like she was about to do something stupid.

"Emily… just let me finish," she interrupted with a broken voice. The fraction of light that hit her deep blue eyes showed tears that had already swollen up. And my heart was beating so loudly that it sent a pulsation throughout my entire body.

"No! Ali, no, you can't say that this is a mistake. We are not a mistake. I _love_ you… And I know you love me. Right?" I questioned. Honestly her body language in that moment made me wonder if I'd made the whole thing up in my head. It wouldn't be the first time.

She subtly wiped the falling tears from her eyes; looking away in attempts to hide it from me. I could feel it coming and I wanted nothing more but to go over there and hold her but I was frozen to the seat just waiting for her to completely level this relationship to the ground.

"I'm so sorry Emily," she was becoming hysterical; "I swear I don't wanna hurt you. I swear… I just… I can't do this."

"Ali… please don't… please… don't do this to me again," I could feel pieces of me falling to the floor the more she spoke and the harder she cried.

"Emily…" I couldn't believe she was about to do it.

"Ali, listen… I don't care about the sex. We can do it as much as you want. I don't care, just _please_ _don't end this_ because of something I said."

"It's not about the sex!" she yelled, just as torn up as I was.

"Then what is it! What!... I am so in love with you. I can't _not_ be with you Alison. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I was wrong! Because I thought I had feelings for you but I was wrong," my mouth fell open, and I was done. She finally did it. She finally broke whatever was left inside of me that allowed me to love her. "Oh God!" she struggled to catch her breath; I was stone by then, "I just needed someone to love me at that time… I… I can't do this anymore Emily… I should've never let this get so far. I love you… I just... I don't feel the same way."

"How can you… How can do that to me! And have the _nerve_ to say that you love me! The minute you got home, I fell right back into the stupid, head-over-heels fool I was years ago. I should've known that you were incapable of loving anyone but yourself! I… I wasted so much time on you." I could tell that my words burnt her but I could care less. I was so done with her.

"I'm sorry Emily. You deserve so much better than this… I …"

"I deserve so much better than you… I mean, aren't you tired of breaking my heart. All you do is bring pain to whoever tries to care about you. You deserve exactly what you're gonna get. You will _never_ find someone to love you the way I do!"

"I'm sorry. I never wanted to use you and I tried to reciprocate the love but…"

"Save it… save it for the next person because I am done with you."

I slammed the door on my way out. Too furious to even cry, I headed straight for Hanna's house. I felt like that piece of paper that gets stuck to your shoe in the bathroom. I felt so stupid, so worthless and so self-loathing because even though I said those things, I know I can never stop loving her. I wanted to die so badly; walking around loving someone like that was worse than death.

When I got to Hanna's house, her mum answered the door. By then I was drenched in tears; my eyes puffy red.

"I-I'm sorry Mrs. Marin… is Hanna home?" I sobbed.

"Emily… what's wrong, sweetheart?" she hugged me immediately.

"I just really need to talk to Hanna right now, please," I begged trying my very best not to crumble before her.

"Yeah, yeah, just head right up," she said shocked by the entire situation.

On site, Hanna grabbed me into a hug, right before I exploded in tears. I had never cried so hard before; so emotionally destroyed. I even surprised myself. Hanna didn't ask anything, she just held onto me until I stopped.

"Hanna," my voice hadn't yet recovered, "Alison broke up with me."

"What? Why?" she questioned.

I left her question unanswered because I didn't want to affect the relationship they had just rebuilt. There I was again, putting her before myself. I fell asleep in Hanna's bed not long after she brought me some tea.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of Hanna shuffling around the room. I can't even remember if she slept in the bed or not. I didn't care.

"Hey," she came over and stroked my hair, "how'd you sleep? I called your mum and told her you were spending the night here so you don't have to worry about rushing home."

"Thank you Hanna, I just… I don't even know how to react right now."

"Look Emily, I saw you guys together… I don't understand what could have happened to make Ali do this. What happened?" she pried.

"This was never what she wanted. She never loved me," I looked at Hanna; I was a shell and I could see the pity projecting onto me.

"That's just crazy. Ali loves you. She never loved anyone the way she loves you. That I know for a fact. If she said that, I guarantee that there is a different reason. Do you want me to talk to her?" she flashed her eyes at mine trying desperately to read my expression. I'm not sure I even had one.

"No… thank you, Hanna. You're such an amazing friend. I really needed you last night," I thanked her.

"Don't say it like that. You might give people the wrong idea," she joked, getting a smile out of me. But that was the last time I smiled for that entire week.

I got home to the coldest house. Everything seemed so dead and meaningless. Her words replayed in my head for days and I thanked God that I didn't have to face her at school. I could literally just go to college and move on without ever seeing or speaking to Alison again. And I know one day I would wake up and find reasons to blame myself for what happened, maybe fall right back in love with her but I'll be so far away from the toxicity that is Alison Dilaurentis, that it wouldn't matter.


	12. Chapter 12 - Of Late I Think Of Rosewood

That's exactly what I did. My initial plan was to hide out in my cocoon but in every crevice of my house, I could see what she touched, where she stood. Pictures of her crowded my room like a storm, suffocating me the longer I stayed. It wasn't long before memories of her infected everything - becoming quite hard for me to breathe, much less remain in Rosewood. Somehow I convinced mum to take a trip down to Texas while I waited for my acceptance letters to arrive. It sucked leaving the others, and I did explain to them as best I could; purposely I failed to mention that the fault was Alison.

I left Rosewood that day with absolutely no intentions of returning. I had nothing there. The other girls, soon after, went off to college, mum decided to make Texas her permanent residence. I had no reason to ever look back. I wonder if she even noticed I was gone. She probably did. After all, I was the loyal one; the one to fall at her feet on command.

College didn't pan out for me. I was completely messed up – partied all night, skipped classes, slept around. I lost something. Apart from my dad passing away, I wasn't the same person. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror. It felt like i had hit rock bottom; made of broken glass and each day I mustered up the courage to get out of bed, it all swallowed me.

It wasn't long before I blew through the money dad set aside for college and I had to drop out. I swear to God that killed me, and I thought about ending it all. I almost did too. I got so drunk one night but I was conscious enough to take a bottle of pills. I never understood why or how, but I managed to dial Paige that night before I passed out. She told me that she found me stretched out across the tiles, my skin pale and my body was stiff. She thought I was dead. I remember waking up in the hospital to her big, brown eyes dripping tears onto my face. I was so ashamed but the love I got from her... I missed it and then, suddenly, everything was alright.

I ended up moving in with her. I can honestly say that it was what I truly needed. Being able to let myself go, free to love someone without having to guard my heart, or what was left of it. I fell in love with her all over again. In that moment, I realised that there isn't such a thing as a soulmate or the one. You can have many loves within your lifetime. What Paige and I had was pure and genuine, and I missed having that.

For the first time in a while I wasn't alone. The girls and I would talk a couple times out of the years. Who would've thought that the inseparable five would be just fine thousands of miles away from one another. We didn't have A gluing us together anymore...we were free. I heard wonderful things from them - Aria writing and working with amazing artists, Spencer dominating political arenas, Hanna travelling the world with high end fashion - and it seemed like I was the only one floundering – the weakest link. Alison was almost none existent for five years and I was ok with that. I heard that she went off to college and soon after became an English teacher at Rosewood. I was working in one the hottest bars in California, enjoying the sand, sun and phenomenal sex with my girlfriend.

Out of nowhere, I got a letter from her. It took me weeks to read it. Before I did, I told Paige about Alison attempting to reach out to me. Paige was the only one, besides Hanna, that I had told about what happened between Alison and me. It was like she sprayed her scent unto the envelope because as soon as I saw my name written in her hand-writing, I could smell her faint perfume. The letter read:

 _ **Dear Emily,**_

 _ **I'm probably the last person you ever want to hear from and that kills me. I've written to the other girls as well. I won't waste your time so i'll just get straight to the point. Charlotte has been considered for early release from the hospital. I need you, all of you, to come back to Rosewood in order for this to be possible. I know that I have no right asking this from you, especially you, but I hope that you can put what happened between us aside, for a moment. She's the only family I have left. I'm begging you Emily. The judge's hearing is three weeks from the date of this letter. I hope to see you but I'll also understand if this is all too much.**_

 _ **Alison.**_

She never ceases to amaze. Some nerve of this girl to ask me to come back to that place to help free the person that tortured me and the others. I couldn't believe it. Paige, on the other hand, had a different opinion. She thought I needed to do this; that all of us needed closure or something like that. The thought of looking Alison in the eye had a myriad of emotions steaming to the surface.

"Emily, relax. You don't have to do this if you don't want to; although i really think you should," Paige said reaching for my hand.

"I don't," I said sternly, "How can she even ask me to do this?"

"She's desperate Em, a part of me gets it," she replied drawing half a smile on her face.

"There's no way I'm going back there," I stood and walked over to the kitchen. Paige could tell how upset I was getting by this. She trailed behind me and hugged me tightly. After letting me go, she stood opposite me, staring, trying to interpret my emotions.

"Are you sure that Alison asking you to help her sister is the only reason you're so apprehensive to return to Rosewood," she questioned, poking at something that had no shot of going anywhere positive.

"What are you talking about, Paige… Of course it's the only reason I don't want to go back there… That and the fact that I can't be in the same room with Ali… She broke my heart… Again... I'll never forgive her for that," I droned on and to be honest, her insinuations were beginning to upset me.

"I think… what you're really afraid of, is falling right back where u started," she said with her arms folded, her eyes were dark.

"Are you kidding me? You're the one that's pushing me to go back there… Alison ruined me. There is no chance of me ever loving her the way I did. I'm with you now," I walked over, placing my hands at the sides of her face. She avoided my eyes but I forced her to look. "I love you… no one else. Alison is a very dark, dark part of my past that I will never re-open. You don't ever have to feel insecure about anyone when it comes to me."

Only a few minutes back into my life and there she was, already causing problems. That alone was enough to keep me from flying back to Pennsylvania. Rosewood is the last place I'll ever willingly go to. Days leading up to the court-date, I was getting calls left and right form the girls – none from Alison; that surprised me.

"Emily, where the hell are you?" Hanna whispered into her phone. I knew I shouldn't have answered.

"Hey… Hanna. Look I…" was the only thing I could get out before she interrupted.

"Ali's freaking out. We're all here. Where are you?" she raced.

"I-Is Ali... there right now?" I dreaded the thought. Faintly, in the background, I could hear her voice and it sent my stomach into knots. "I can't Hanna… I can't face her. I'm surprised that you guys agreed to this. But… I haven't forgiven Ali for what she did." I replied trying hard to mask my emotion.

"I understand Em. I'm sure Alison will understand. We all miss you and its nice seeing the girls again. I don't know when we'll get another chance to all be in the same place together. You're the only one missing. I hope you change your mind," she ended the call leaving me in a heaving confusion.

Paige had already fallen asleep by the time I crawled into bed. Her hair fell to the sides of her face; a few stubborn strands making their way over her eyes. I didn't have it all but I had someone that loved me deeply. She looked so peaceful and so calm, exactly how I wanted my life to be. It's been a while since I thought about Alison but I laid in bed, wide awake, all night thinking about everything. Before I knew it, it was morning and I hadn't shut my eyes, not once.

I decided to take the day to think about what I should do. In the back of my mind, I could see Alison in distress and I was the cause. It wouldn't be such a terrible thing to see the other girls. I mean, it's been five whole years. _Wait, am I trying to convince myself to do this?_ I pouted over a bowl of ice-cream and I replayed every moment I had with Alison. I hated myself for even remembering the good times. Being completely truthful, I hadn't really let her go over the years. She'd always be somewhere to the back of my mind and I would do everything I could, to suppress her presence there.

On the last day, I decided to buy the ticket. I sat for hours in the airport contemplating whether or not I was making the biggest mistake of my life. Paige couldn't come with me because she had work engagements. I think I really needed to do this on my own. Trying to ignore Alison wasn't working, so maybe I needed to resolve the issue and really try to move on. Who knows, maybe we could be friends again.

Hanna had her mum book a room for me at the Radley - no comment on that. Rosewood hadn't changed a bit. Well except for turning insane asylums to modernized hotels. It was actually really beautiful but I didn't have much time to admire the transitions. I headed straight for my room to unpack before meeting the girls at the Brew. It wasn't a full minute after dropping my bags on the bed that I heard a knock on the hotel door. I figured the girls couldn't wait to see me so they decided to surprise me.

Opening the door revealed big, blue eyes accompanied by blonde flowing hair. It was Alison. I almost staggered at the breath taking site of her. And I thought for sure that there was no way she could become anymore beautiful. To see her five years after, grown, and more alluring than the last, I was swept completely off my guard. I was confident that my eyes would burst into flames. My lips parted slightly but there was nothing for miles in my head. Everything flooded my mind all at once and I just stood there; hand gripping the door knob. Her eyes danced between mine like they always did but this time they were confused between fear and love. We were both standing there, lost for words. And then there was a moment where I wanted to just kiss her and slam the door in her face at the same time.

"Hi," she breathed out.


	13. Chapter 13 - That Charlotte Thing

"Hey," I responded with the littlest smile. I could tell that she was just as thrown aback to see me, after all these years.

She forced herself to end the most awkward ten seconds of both our lives by thanking me for coming back. As she spoke I got the most sickening, gut-punching feelings that I tried greatly to mask. It was so difficult to stand this close to her – someone that had broken me in entirety, someone that had so much power over mind and body. I could smell that sweet vanilla fragrance she loved putting on and as much as I tried ignoring it, that intoxicating scent filled the space between us.

"Em?" she called softly, trying to recapture my attention. She cocked her head to the side when she noticed that I had zoned out of whatever it was she was telling me. "Are you ok?" she asked as if this moment had been a breeze for her while I was a wreck on the inside. It was true. The longer we spent pretending that we could be civil to each other - putting up this mirage of maturity, the more intense my internal battle was becoming.

"I'm fine," I answered in monotone. She gave half a smile but her eyes were sad when she did. I wanted nothing more but to ask her how she slept at night, knowing that someone was out there in the world drowning in misery because of her. And that she shattered my world. All of these feelings were right there, bubbling at my surface, inches away from her. To let myself express any of it, I knew that I would've dissolved right before her eyes.

"I don't wanna keep you. I know that you probably haven't seen the others yet, so I'll leave now. The court hearing is in four hours," she smiled genuinely. It was obvious that this meant a lot to Alison and a part of me was happy that I could help her. "It was nice seeing you, Emily." I didn't respond. I didn't know how to. I just nodded ineptly and waited for her to walk away before shutting the door. For two people that had such a chemical love, we were so coarse and cold in this interaction. Then again, I was the only one in love – infatuated really.

I knocked my head against the door a couple times trying to shake her from my mind. If I could slap the hell out of myself I would because I still had feelings for her and they were so deep. I don't think she could do a single thing that would make me stop caring about her. I was so confused because I hated her and loved her equally. All it took was one site of her to send me spiralling towards old habits.

Walking into the Brew, I had the biggest smile on my face. I saw my soulmates sitting at our usual table laughing and causing a scene. They all jumped up and rushed to hug me when the noticed I was there. I hadn't seen these beauties in such a long time, it felt like forever. I almost cried.

"Oh my God Emily… you haven't aged a bit," Spencer said taking her seat.

"Well her fashion style sure has. You look very… lesbian chic, I love it," Hanna added. My style had matured quite a bit over the years. I threw in a few dresses here and there.

"Guys I've missed you all so much," I said hugging Aria again, just because she sat the closest.

"We need to keep in touch more. I hated not being able to spend time with you all," Aria pouted, with her cute new haircut.

We spent the rest of the time, until Charlotte's hearing, catching up. Most importantly, we were all surprised by Alison choosing us to testify on her sister's behalf. We lied a lot for Alison in the past; I guess one more couldn't kill anybody. After taking, what seemed like, a million selfies, we all headed to the courthouse together.

We stood outside for a moment, none of us wanting to take that first step. We looked around at each other, unsure as to whether we wanted to do this at all. I was so torn by it – letting someone that tried numerous times to kill my friends and me, because of some stupid game. 'This was for Alison,' we all thought to ourselves and despite our past experiences with her, we all loved each other more than anything. We were a family, at best.

"Five years and you guys still do everything together," a voice said approaching us. She wore one of the most stylish pants suit of the season. Hair was flawless and that strut of confidence was notorious. Mona hadn't once crossed my mind throughout the years. Obviously, she had a good career; she sure looked the part.

"Mona?" Hanna seemed pleasantly surprised to see her. They both hugged briefly and Mona gave a subtle smile at us.

"You all look fabulous. I'll see you all inside," she said before heading into the court house. I always admired how direct she was about every aspect of her life. I can never trust her but she's definitely an interesting friend to have – better that than an enemy. I scoffed at the recollection of her stride as A.

I entered the courtroom behind the others. Thankfully, Charlotte was absent for this hearing. Alison sat to the back of the courtroom next to a man. She smiled at me as our eyes met. We were directed to our seats by the guard and the judge began.

"Guys… I-I don't think I can do this," Aria whispered across us.

"Aria relax. Ali said that she's changed and they wouldn't be letting her out if she wasn't ready. Besides, I don't think our statements today, if negative, would deter Charlotte from being released," Spencer whispered in response.

"Guys Ali needs this. Let's just get it over with so that we can all leave Rosewood," Hanna said, her blue eyes wide, urging us to drop the topic. I had nothing to say.

We were asked one by one to make statements about how the release of Charlotte would affect our lives and whether or not we felt as if she would be a threat to us.

Spencer: If according to the doctors Charlotte is properly rehabilitated, I have no issue with her being released. I do not see her as a threat and I support the motion to release her.

Hanna: I don't see her as a threat. I hope that she will be given orders not to interact with us but other than that, I support it.

Mona: I've given this a lot of thought and I realise that Charlotte has been through a lot. Despite what she put us all through, I understand, personally, what it feels like to be insane, as they tell you; to be put in that terrible place. Everyone deserves a second chance… and I think that Charlotte deserves to be with people that love her. Not locked away in that place. I don't see her as a threat.

Neither of us expected Mona to give such a heartfelt statement on Charlotte's behalf. After she spoke, she rushed out of that room so fast that we all kind of felt sorry for her. This couldn't have been easy.

Aria: I… I… I'm sorry Ali but I can't. I don't feel safe knowing that she can just walk up to me on the street. I have nightmares about the terrible things she put us through. I jump whenever someone touches me… I'm paranoid that someone's outside my apartment at night because of her. I don't support this.

We were all shocked that Aria said those things, although, deep down, we were all going through the exact same thing as she was. The only difference is that she was the brave one to say what we couldn't. Alison looked completely disappointed but in her eyes I saw that she understood that Aria was only being honest.

Me: I don't see Charlotte as a threat. I think she should be with her sister.

I looked around at Alison after my statement. She mouthed thank you to me and hugged the guy next to her. The judge ruled to release Charlotte. Alison was smiling from ear to ear. She and the guy looked equally happy and they shared quite a few hugs. We all felt revolting knocks in our stomachs at the ruling, I think I finally hit us that A was going to be free again.

"Who is that guy?" I asked the girls trying not at all to seem jealous.

"Oh… that's Charlotte's doctor," Spencer answered. I was a little relieved.

At least it was all over. We had no reason to stay in Rosewood much longer. The plan was to have lunch the next day and hopefully be out of town by the following. We all were staying at the Radley so we decided to have a little girl's night. Music was playing, champagne was within reach and we had amazing stories to share. I didn't have the heart to tell the girls that I dropped out of college so I lied and told them that I was working for SALK institute. I could barely look anyone in the eye when I said it.

During the night I got a message from Alison. She asked if I could call her so I snuck out onto the balcony. My heart thumped as the dial tone rang off in my ear. _What could she possibly want?_

"Hi Emily," she answered. Her voice sounded so strained, like she had been crying.

"Is everything ok, Ali?" I asked noticing the change in her pitch.

"Yeah… Yeah," she sniffled, "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah… O- Of course you can," I fumbled to say. Truth is, hearing her on the phone was killing me because I wanted to comfort her but I didn't want to take the chance and become wrapped up in her again.

"I mean in person… I just… I really need to talk to you," she was trying really hard to keep from cracking but I could tell that whatever it was, it was important. "I'll be there in five minutes…" She hung up the phone before I could answer her. I swear I would've made an excuse not to see her but she was clever enough to take away that option.

I told the girls that I was feeling tired and that I had to leave early. I pushed through the entire party-pooper name calling scene and headed to my room, a little buzzed on alcohol. I went to the bathroom, almost immediately, to check my appearance and when I caught myself, I sneered at myself for doing that. "Listen to me… Alison hurt you… She used you… You hate her… Shut down those feelings Emily," I said to myself in the mirror and walked out.

I sat on the couch and waited. A few hours passed by with no sign of the blonde. I was pissed because I thought that this was another one of her stupid games. It took a lot for me to even agree to see her – even though I didn't, really. As I was getting ready for bed, I heard a knock on the door. I clenched my jaw and opened it to rip her a new one but when I saw how distressed she looked, I just froze.

"I'm so sorry that I'm late," she said in one doleful breath.

"It's fine," I lied, "come in." I stepped aside and let her into the room. She wore that mesmerizing fragrance again.

"Again… I'm sorry for keeping you waiting…" she said.

"I wasn't waiting," I interrupted trying to prove the point that I don't just wait around for her anymore. Yet that's exactly what I did.

She got the point and decided to ignore my childish response. "I needed to sort of… collect myself before I came over." Her eyes were red like she had been crying all night. I was beginning to get worried that she was going to drop some heavy shit on me.

"What's wrong Ali?" I asked eager to get on with it.

"I can't be this close to you and not explain myself to you," she stated.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said with wide, concerning eyes.

She started crying and those beautiful blue eyes looked amazingly sad. I couldn't hold her and that bothered me. I hated seeing her cry.

"Ali… what's wrong?" I asked again.

"I need to tell you… why I ended things," she struggled to say. She looked at me for some response but I was shaking. I couldn't believe that we were going to re=open everything that I had been trying for years to bury.


	14. Chapter 14 - Confession and Confusion

So there we were; both alone in that enormous hotel room. The faint music and voices coming from the girls, a room down, filled the silence between Alison and me. She sat on the couch with her hands clasped in each other and her eyes were fixated on mine. I knew I had to sit down because all of the energy was fleeting from my body in anticipation for what she was about to say to me. I sat on the single seater facing her directly; my eyes vibrating and I could hear my own breathing.

"Emily…" she started but I interrupted her immediately as she got my name out.

"Alison, don't… I know that look on your face and I – I really don't think I can handle another one of these. If you're about to say something that most likely will cause a shift in my life right now… I – I can't…" I rambled; scared to death of her and this magnetic relationship she had with disasters.

"I have to tell you… I've tried for years to accept that I made a decision and let things be the way they are but I have so much regret… everyday… We don't talk, you hate me… I can't live with that," she said, trying to speak above her breaking voice.

"You broke my heart Ali, again… I don't think there's any way you can change that. So much time has passed and so many things have happened. I'm happy now and I haven't been for a while. I don't this… I don't hate you… We can't go back to where we were and we both have to just live with that," I replied trying to put the brakes on her confession. I wasn't as afraid of her revealing something troubling as I was of her possibly giving an adequate reason for leaving me. That terrified me most.

"Emily I can't live with this… I don't wanna obstruct anything for you but I need you to know that I never wanted to hurt you… I had to…" she fiddled with her fingers as she spoke, "I love you, Emily, more than anything… the hardest thing for me is letting go… but I had to, for your own good."

"What do you mean," I asked sitting at the edge of my seat and wanting nothing more than to get this over with now.

"I need you to just listen, ok," she exhaled letting me know that it was coming, "I came over to your house a week before you left. I forgot that you had a shift that day so I went up to your room to surprise you… you weren't there… but your mum was..." I hung onto her every word as she spoke, "She was sitting on your bed upset. She had a letter in her hands and she held it out for me to read. It was an acceptance letter to Redhawk's University. I never knew you were applying there… I would've never let you accept that because I know you were only applying there for me… so that you'd be closer to Rosewood."

"Ali…" my lips were parted as she carried on.

"As much as I wanted you to stay back… there was no way that I could live with that guilt of holding you back. You had the other acceptance letter there from a great University and we weren't going to let you even think about choosing Redhawk. I told your mother that I'd make you go but she was so sure that you'd find some way to be near me and that you couldn't focus on your degree if you were just there pining over us. I knew what I had to do," she began breaking down again, this time she could hardly breathe, "I hated… every part… when I had… when I had to tell you… that I never loved you… and that look on your face… God, that look in your eyes… I could never get that out of my head. I lied. I had to break your heart so that you'd go and you'd forget about me…"

"Forget about you!" I yelled and walked over to the kitchen counter. She stood up grasping for words but she could only cry. Her eyes were crystals searching for understanding in mine. "How could you! My mum… she just… I…" I was steaming at that point.

"I know you're upset but I did it for you," she pleaded.

"For me? You went behind my back with my mother and conspired and manipulated me… You destroyed me… How could you ever think that I would be able to do well in school… I was a mess and then dad died! I had no one… I failed all my classes because I couldn't leave my bed!" I screamed at her. All the hurt was spouting out of my lips and she flinched each time I spoke. "I needed you… when he died I needed you… I – I felt like nothing was worth it. You didn't love me… I tried to kill myself because I just couldn't handle it…"

"What?" she said walking over to me. She put her hand against my cheek and I broke down, hysterically. She had so much compassion spilled across her face that for a second I forgot how mad I was and I found solace in her arms. "Emily… I had no idea… I'm so sorry baby."

I pulled away from her trying my best to stuff my emotions back into my chest. I slid to the floor with my head in my hands and she sat right next to me stroking my hair. We stayed like that for a few minutes.

"I dropped out of college… I have nothing… I lied to the girls and my mum about everything," I said softly; my head still resting in my hands, "I thought you played me again, and I felt so stupid because I let myself free to love you with everything…"

"I love you… I always did and I never stopped. I can't take back everything I did and I feel awful that I caused this. I'm here for you and we can figure this out…" she said pulling my head up and facing it to her beautiful face.

"We can't…" I said with my eyes drooping in tears.

"Why not… I can help you get a good job or maybe go back to college… we can go back to where we use to be… I still love you… and I know you won't be able to trust me right away but we can work on that…"

My phone rang causing her to stop talking. It was Paige calling and she looked away when she saw the caller ID. I looked at her lost for an explanation, as if she's just caught me cheating. She flashed half a smile and I got up and walked out onto the balcony. In all of the drama and emotions, I had completely neglected to even call Paige. _She must be furious._

"If I didn't call you, would I even hear from you at all?" she asked obviously pissed.

"Paige… I'm – I'm so sorry… I just. I got so caught up in everything, I guess it slipped my mind to call," I replied hoping that she'd accept that excuse.

"What's going on? Is everything ok?" she questioned, "How did the court thing go and meeting the other girls?"

"I- It was fine… Ummm, Charlotte got released so she'll be home soon," I nervously answered, "I actually have to go right now Paige… can I call you back?"

"Uhhh… yeah… sure," she sounded confused at my coldness.

I rushed back inside and I had the sickening feeling of dishonesty because I deliberately didn't tell Paige that I was with Alison, in my hotel room. When I re-entered, she was standing by the door with her purse over her shoulder.

"Ali… your leaving?" I asked. It was quite clear that we hadn't really resolved anything fully.

"You and Paige got back together?" she asked masking her jealousy. It was quite cute.

"Yeah… we did… she actually found me. Alison…"

"You don't have to explain… I shouldn't have expected that we'd just get back together. That wasn't my plan at all. I just wanted you to know everything."

I walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Straying strands of her silky hair tickled my skin. I almost didn't want to let go of her and that hug lasted a lot longer than it should have. I understood why she did what she did and that made me love her a little more. We both loved each other more than two people ever should.

She pulled away and those big blue eyes complimented her subtle smile. "This is it… I hope we can find a way to become friends again."

"Without all the awkwardness," I laughed and so did she.

She placed her soft hands against my face again. I held it in place for a while longer and we both stared into each other and those old feelings for Alison, tumbled right back in place. She kissed me suddenly; so softly and so sweetly. I had forgotten how paralyzing those kisses could be. It was over before I became completely lost in her.

"I just wanted one more… you'll always be my first love Emily Fields," she flashed that bright smile at me. She knew that she could have me whenever and however she wanted, with one kiss. But she decided to respect my relationship and we just had to let it go.

"You'll always be mine," I returned and she left my room with my heart once again – the taste of her lips tingled against mine. When I shut the door, I exhaled hoggishly in attempts to bring myself back down to earth. I had a lot to process.


	15. Chapter 15 - Who Murdered Cece Drake

I think we all remembered where we were and what we were doing when we got the call that Charlotte was dead. I was curled up on the couch skyping with Paige when Hanna called me. Everyone was in so much shock. The news pretty much stopped Rosewood and we were all right back where we started – the centre of attention surrounding a death. I cringed at the realisation that Alison was undeniably destroyed by this, and I raced over to her house the minute I found out.

When I got to the house, I noticed the already creepy Dilaurentis home was poorly lit. A few candles flickered inside and I stood before it for a few minutes taking it all in. The last time that house looked like that; I had just been told that Alison went missing. Every time since, I always got a gut-wrenching feeling around candles and around that house… But a princess lived there and she made it especially difficult to stay away. I took a breath, walked up the steps and knocked on the door.

"Hey… Emily, thank you so much for coming over," said the same guy that was with Alison in the courtroom. He welcomed me inside the house as if it were his own and then I realised that he was most likely Alison's good friend since he helped her sister.

"Hi," I said in a higher than usual pitch, I was surprised to see him answer the door. Then again, he was Charlotte's doctor. "Where is she?"

"Look Emily, Alison isn't doing well at all with the news. She's been in bed all day and refused to see any of the other girls when they came. Thank you for coming… but I don't think she…" said the guy but he was interrupted by the call of Alison.

"Elliott!" sounded my broken little blonde. The stress in her voice was evident as she struggled to through it down the stairs. Elliott gestured me to stay where I stood with one quick finger as he raced up the stairs. I awkwardly waited and scanned the room downstairs in the meanwhile.

"She wants to see you," he said coming halfway down the stairs, his eyes were black coals; incredibly hypnotic but I couldn't fathom why the minute I laid eyes on this guy, I could not trust him. He seemed a bit saddened by the fact that Alison wanted to see me.

I walked up the stairs behind him. My heart slowly picked up pace the closer I got to the top of the stairs. My boots stomped against the floor though I tried greatly to walk gracefully. He entered the room before me and stood at the foot of her bed, I trailed behind. She was lying in bed facing the window, the covers were pulled up to her chin and I could almost feel how devastated she was.

"Stay with her… till she falls asleep. I'll be downstairs," Elliott said to me while looking at her.

"Who's staying over with her?" I asked concerned.

"I will," he smiled giving me some comfort.

I walked over to the side she laid on and sat at her feet. She sniffled and reached for my hand; pulling it closer to her. I felt so uncomfortable because there were so many emotions running through my mind. I didn't know if to hold her or just stay like this until she fell asleep.

"Emily," she softly cried out and in the way she said my name, she told me all of her emotions.

"I know Ali," I said squeezing her hand gently.

She sobbed lightly for a good few minutes and I remained at her feet, my princess in so much pain. It killed me that I had no idea how to help her, so I just sat there hoping that my presence would offer some type of relieve.

"Can you hold me?" she asked so softly that it was almost a whisper. My eyes widened at the request. _How do I do this and retain innocence?_

"Yeah… of course," I replied and this sounded all too familiar.

I crawled up behind her, making sure to stay out of her covers this time, and wrapped my arm around her. She took my hand in hers and snuggled into me a little. I watched her as she fell right to sleep. She turned over on her back and I stared at her beautiful face and wiped off her tears. Even in her sleep, tears would escape her lids. I wanted to kiss her till they stopped but I settle for wiping them away. I watched her chest rise and fall with each breath she took, and after a little while, I fell asleep also.

I was awakened by a very confused Elliott. When I came to, I found Alison nestled into my side. My arm was numb from her lying on it for a few hours. It was the cutest thing, though very dangerous. I was grateful that it was him walking in and not Paige. This guy gave me the creeps. He seemed so weirded out finding us in bed together and I could tell he tried to hide what seemed like jealousy. More and more I was beginning to believe that he was more than just Charlotte's doctor. _Maybe he has a crush on Alison._ Then again who hasn't had one on her?

"It's getting late," he directed towards me.

"Uhhh… yeah, I fell asleep," I said as I eased out of bed as not to wake her.

"I'll walk you out," he said and he did.

He stood on the porch as I got into a hotel car. I could see the tightness in his jaw as the car pulled off – he did not like me at all. I sat with my arms folded in the backseat. Her pretty scent lingered on my jacket lightly. I should've stayed the night but I could already feel myself getting sucked right back into that dance with her.

When I pulled up to the hotel, there was a police car outside and the others were there also. I immediately began to panic because we have never had a good history with Rosewood's finest. I got out of the car and paced over to the girls. Toby and Lorenzo stood opposite the girls talking. As I got closer, I picked up on the tenderness of the conversation.

"The body was taken in for an autopsy. Though initially it looked like a straightforward suicide case, we found some evidence that Charlotte might have been pushed off the bell-tower between the hours of three and four A.M. this morning," Lorenzo explained. His voice seemed less informative and more threatening than usual.

"Guys… what's going on?" I asked.

"They think Charlotte might have been murdered," Spencer answered with her lips parted in disbelief.

"Who do you think did it?" Aria asked concerned and a little shaken. I could understand her worry seeing that she was the only one against Charlotte's release. She _would_ look the most suspicious.

"Well we haven't yet ruled that it was a homicide… But as soon as the autopsy gets back, you guys will be one of the first to know. In the meanwhile, we want you all to stay at the hotel and avoid going out, especially alone," Toby said to us, "I mean it guys… please stay at the hotel."

When they drove off, we all looked at each other. We all were thinking the same thing; that it had to have been a murder and it could have been one of us or someone that loves us enough to take out a possible threat. Although most of us stated that we were fine with Charlotte being released, our families hated her for what she did to us.

"Did any of you…" Spencer asked unable to even finish the sentence. It was silent for a second while we all quietly accused one another.

"I didn't," Aria quickly said.

" _I_ didn't," Hanna followed.

"Neither did I," I added.

That was all it took to dispel any ideas that either one of us had a hand in Charlotte's death. We all went back to Hanna's room. It was safer to sleep in the same room until all of this was resolved.

"Guys, we need to leave Rosewood," Aria said wide-eyed. I couldn't pinpoint the reason but I also felt like things were starting up again… 'A' things… and as much as I loved being around Alison, I could never go back to that life.

"Anyone else feel like it's all happening again?" Spencer asked.

"I agree with Aria," Hanna added, "we need to leave before we can't."

Those words made my stomach churn. I didn't even want to think that there was a possibility that we could be in danger. It did not make a lot of sense; in fact, it seemed like if Charlotte was murdered, that it was by someone that cared about us. However, neither could shake the feeling that something bad was approaching this little town.

In the late of the night, the lights went out in our room. I woke the girls in a panic. We all scrambled around the room for flashlights. The phones were jammed and the doors would not open. God we were so afraid and Aria was in tears. I tried calling the police but signals were down. We looked around the room for a way out but everywhere was bolted shut. I could feel my heart pounding in my throat and my breathing became uncontrollable. I was in a full blown panic-attack and the girls tried desperately to calm me down. My mind flashed back to the dollhouse and I felt like I was there again.

Out of nowhere, the lights flashed back on and we all gasped but were frozen in the circle of safety we made – huddled on the ground holding each other. We slowly got up and headed for the door to see if everyone else in the hotel was ok. Everything seemed to be undisturbed when we got to the lobby. People were having drinks and checking in as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, hey girls… what are you guys doing up?" Hanna's mother greeted us with a grin splattered on her face.

"Mum… the lights went out," Hanna informed her. We all looked confused and somewhat deranged.

"No. The lights were fine… Did that happen in your room?" she asked concerned. Her expression changed from ignorance to worry when she saw the distress on our faces. "Are you guys ok?"

"No… we're not," Spencer replied and walked away from the group, I guessed to call Caleb.

We stayed in the lobby until the technicians checked out the problems with our room. The girls came back to mine for the night. We couldn't sleep so we just sat on the couch. We kept all the lights on this time.

"Em… Are you ok?" Hanna asked placing her hand on my lap. I was a little embarrassed by how freaked I got. The girls had never seen me so afraid before. We all got messages on our phones before I could answer. The simultaneous tones sounded in that anxiety fuelled way it use to. It shot us all back five years. Before reading it, our eyes beamed around at one another almost bulging out of the sockets. The message read:

 **What happens in the dark always comes to light.**

 **I hope you can handle what comes next – A.D.**

"Oh my God," was all Spencer could say after we all read the message. Our worst nightmare had been actualized.

"Who the hell is A.D.?" Aria asked; her beady green orbs scanning us for a response.

"Do you guys think its Alison?" Hanna asked.

"It isn't," I quickly opposed the thought.

"No offense Em, but you see Alison through a different pair of goggles than we do," Spencer spewed.

"Alison was asleep when I left her house tonight," I added.

"She saw you?" Aria asked surprised. Spencer and Hanna looked at each other with pursed lips and raised eyebrows as if they both thought, "Of course she'd let Emily see her."

"Em, it makes a lot of sense. Ali loved her sister. She refused to see any of us... Well except you. Maybe she thinks we killed her. I mean look at the initials! It says A.D…. Alison Dilaurentis," Hanna droned on.

"We did this already. We almost sent her to jail for life because we got it wrong. I'm not doing that again. I may not trust her but I know she loves us and wouldn't hurt us for anyone," I argued and dropped the slither of a thought in my own mind that she could ever be this person.

"Emily's right you guys. I mean when has it ever been that simple to identify 'A'. This is way too obvious," Spencer agreed.

"I'm not playing this game again guys," Hanna said in a monotone. Neither of us could imagine going through this again.

"Look first thing in the morning, I'm getting the hell out of here," Aria said as she walked to the kitchen to get something from the fridge.

"I agree, after the funeral I think we all need to get the hell out of Rosewood," Hanna said before Aria alerted all of us.

"Guys!" she called and pointed at the refrigerator, covering her mouth with her other hand. We all rushed over to see what she was pointing at. It was another message from 'A' smeared across the fridge door in what looked like blood. It said:

 **If one can't stand for all, all will fall for one.**

 **I'm not like the rest.**

 **I will kill you.**

We were frozen in fear at the site of that message. It was clear then that whoever this person was, they thought beyond a doubt that one of us killed Charlotte. Whether we wanted to play or not, we were now, officially, pawns once again. And this time, it wasn't a game.


	16. Chapter 16 - One Latte, Two Blue Eyes

Needless to say, I got no sleep that night. I watched helplessly over the girls as each one failed the fight to stay awake. So A is back and I find myself wondering how I didn't see this coming. Five years later and we still ignore the unmistakeable fact that terrible things happen when we're all in the same place. _God I should've hauled ass out of this town already._ But is it as clear to everyone as it is to me the real reason I stayed?

"Hey?" Hanna woke first, snapping me out of my light thoughts.

"Good morning," I replied blandly but managed a smile.

She checked her messages as soon as her eyes adjusted to the light and I just sat on the couch with a cup of coffee in my hand. It was bitter; suited my mood. Now that Hannah was awake, I could retire my post as guard and maybe talk to Alison about what happened. I stood up drained, clumsily gathered my purse and bolted for the door.

"Han, I'm gonna head over to Ali's… to see if she's ok?" I muttered beneath my breath, praying to God that she doesn't retort some smartass comment about my Alison addiction.

"Right," she replied obviously annoyed.

I scoffed and headed out. On my way to the Dilaurentis' house, I stopped by the Brew to get a latte. Safe to say I was no longer in a bitter mood and I grabbed one for Ali also. It's kinda sad how excited I was considering the circumstances. But I could always find light in her. Even when all people could see in Alison was a dark and twisted manipulator, I saw her light. It's just something in her smile and those majestic eyes. I could never put my finger on it.

"That would be five dollars," the cashier said. And in the very next second to follow, sauntered Ali with her thick, blonde waves crashing beside her. I was star-stricken and she was drop-dead gorgeous, as I often describe. "Miss? Five dollars," the cashier repeated.

"Oh, s-sorry," I scrambled in my wallet for some change and paid. Immediately, I caught her eye as she entered. She stood a couple feet away and waited for me to come to her. "Hey," was all I could say at the moment.

"Hi, I just came to get some coffee and head down to the station. I'm glad I ran into you," she flashed half a smile and I could swear I saw a pinch of seduction in it. She had turned to walk over to the counter when I placed my hand on her shoulder to stop her. It was like touching fire. Her eyes widened towards me as if I had done something terribly wrong. There we were standing in a coffee shop turning what is clearly accepted as a normal gesture into one the most intense moments.

"I… umm, I picked you up something already," I said a little embarrassed. She changed her facial expression, questioning my actions. "I was actually on my way over to your house just now."

"Oh… thanks… for the latte. You know umm… I have a few minutes to kill before I speak with detective Lorenzo. Do you wanna… talk outside?" she responded effortlessly. I smiled and I trotted behind her to a park bench across the street.

She sat down daintily and crossed her legs. Her breezy, floral skirt draped along her alabaster thighs neatly. I couldn't take my eyes off of them until she placed her warm hand on my lap. She knows exactly what that does to me. I could barely sit still – ready to jump out my own skin at this point. I forced the most uncomfortable smile and fought the seething inside me. I committed to ignore the fever in her eyes and tried earnestly to hold eye contact with her as she spoke.

"Thank you… for coming over yesterday. Elliott told me that you fell asleep keeping me company. I can't tell you how much I needed that. It's so hard to sleep at night thinking that my sister was murdered by someone…" she spoke and the sadness played in her tone.

"Oh they told you," I replied.

"I mean, I know Charlotte hurt a lot of people but I really thought that her being released would be good for her…" she sighed deeply and fiddled with her fingers, almost like she couldn't continue talking without breaking down.

"I'm so sorry Ali… this never should have happened," I said hoping to comfort her in some way.

"Yeah," she then looked up at me, "what were you coming over for?"

"Uhhh… maybe that could wait. You should get to the station," I figured piling more news onto her right now wasn't such a good idea. I mean if A had tried anything on her, she would've said something by now. Then again it took us two years to figure out that all along she was being tormented by Mona.

"Do you mind coming with me?" she asked with those puppy-dog eyes that I could never refuse. I agreed and we made our way to the station.

They took her into a room for questioning, to see if she could help with the case. I was asked to stand outside but I could see her through a window. She sat teary eyed as Lorenzo spoke and the more he spoke the more she cried. I wanted so badly to hold her hand, to tell her that everything would be okay but that wasn't really my place anymore. And sometimes I forget where we stand and sometimes time and everything else disappears and there I am always waiting to catch her.

Lorenzo said something to Ali that changed her entire demeanour. She looked shocked and horrified all in one. She then looked out the window towards me as if she was searching my emotions to reveal something. On our way back to her house, she told me about that little moment. It seems that the police have some sort of lead and they believe that the girls and I may have something to do with Charlotte's death. Ali told them that there was no way we would do something like that but the way she looked at me; I don't think she's even sure about herself.

All of a sudden we were in Alison's room. She decided to take a shower and I sat on her bed waiting to talk with her. One of her tops lay out on the bed. I took the frills between my fingers and whirled it thinking about how beautiful it probably looked on her. I got up and walked around the room examining her little trinkets of the past. She always liked keep-sakes. So many memories wrapped up in all of this stuff. It's like she never got rid of a single thing.

"Sorry, I just really needed a hot shower," she said walking out, dripping all over the floor. Her hair was wet and assumed a darker shade of blonde. Her skin glistened from the beads of water that rolled down at their leisure. The white towel locked away the best parts of her and I struggled to breathe the moment she walked out.

"I-It's fine. I was just looking at all of these photos of us," I changed the subject for any excuse to look away from her body. She walked into the closet to pick out something to wear. I stole glances at her figure as she reached up high forcing her towel to lift, barely covering her dampened skin. I bit my lips and reminisced on how deliciously soft she felt, especially after a hot shower, all wet and slippery.

"Em?" she caught me staring but played off with an innocent smile, "is it okay if I change right here?"

"Uhhhmmm… I … I can umm… I can go downstairs," I stammered; boiling inside. Why would she want to change in front of me?

"That really isn't necessary. I'm comfortable in front of you," she said with a sexy smirk. But I was the uncomfortable one fighting terribly hard to resist the attraction.

"I'll just look out the window," I said and I trailed over to it. There were mirrors all over Ali's room and in one of them I caught her reflection. My eyes were glued to it although I knew it was wrong. _What are you doing? You have a girlfriend_. It was suddenly too hot in this room and I was sweating quite a bit but still I had to watch. Seeing her dance her way into a tight pair of jeans made me feel things I really didn't need to feel right then and there. I was a pool of wanting. She was that fruit you're not supposed to have but you had to taste it; just a little bit of it

I turned around completely controlled by desire and I grabbed her hands pulling her towards me. Her eyes were widened; pools of blue confusion. I had to have her. I kissed her soft lips until they were blood red. She gripped my waist and joined in. It was passion like I never felt before. Our bodies were connected in a way that we could hardly even understand. I began feeling weightless as if nothing else existed around us. And even though I eventually realised how wrong this was, how much agitation this would cause us both, I couldn't stop, she didn't want to either. We both let that moment get so far out of our reach.

It was like a dream and we never ever wanted to wake from it because we both knew that once we stopped, we could never get that moment back. It had to play out, and no matter how toxic it was; it was a familiarity that was mesmerizing to us both. The tension without it seemed so debilitating. I missed the way her moans shot through me and the way she knew my body, better than anyone else ever did. God we couldn't stop no matter how much we tried.

When it was over, we laid naked across ruffled sheets wrapped in each other, in total silence. Her big blue eyes fixated on mine. We were both in tears because we knew what we did and equally, we never regretted it. She kissed me softly then nestled into my side again. I stroked her damp hair and imagined that this could be a reality. I wondered what she could possibly be thinking of. We just stayed in that position for hours as if nothing else meant a thing.


	17. Chapter 17 - Sex Before Marriage

Our legs were intertwined and her head rested sweetly on my arm. With my fingers, I played in her golden hair as we laid between the sheets in silence. What do you say when you've just made passionate love to someone that you weren't supposed to? Why did it feel so right with her? God she's beautiful. It felt like ages since I've seen her, this close, naked and completely mine.

Her chest rose lightly as she summoned the courage to kill the quiet, "So… what does this mean?"

I purposely took a while to respond; not ready to disturb the peaceful fiction we had. "I don't know, Ali," I really didn't.

She shot up on the bed and turned her entire body towards me, her legs folded before her; toes digging into my sides. Her big blue orbs looked right through me requesting more. She wanted to set things straight but I was fully content flailing back and forth between dream and reality.

"Emily…" she reached for my hands. I looked down at how she fiddled with my fingers but really just avoiding her gaze for as long as I could. "Em… We can't keep doing this... Would you please look at me?"

"Why can't we?" I childishly asked but I already knew the answer.

"Well, my sweet Emily," she paused to caress my face. I nestled towards the static of her touch, "we're both in relationships and it isn't fair to either of them if we continue doing this… Though it is really hot, I feel bad and I know you do too."

She was right, as usual. I hate doing this to Paige. Alison just has this gravitational pull over me and I feel sometimes like I belong to her; mind, body and soul. I know for a fact that I can't walk away from her and i don't mean that in a physical sense. No matter the distance between us, I have this longing for her. She's my blonde bombshell, the enigma that captures my attention in full.

"I feel awful but I want you so bad," I said truthfully.

"I want you too," she said and crashed her lips into mine breathing heavily. My heart started racing and I was under her heat; melting, dripping. I ran my palms along her back searching for her plump cheeks and squeezed them gently causing her to moan into my mouth. She was lying on top of me, her legs fell on either sides of mine trapping me beneath her fiery body.

She pulled away from my lips abruptly; looking deep into my eyes. Hers were dark, smoky, and filled with lust. "Are you sure you want this?" she asked with a breathy voice. My chest rose and fell in quick successions; I could barely catch air around her. I aggressively switched our positions so that I was on top. "I'm gonna make you come so hard," I whispered in her ear making her breathing hitch.

I took her pink nipples between my lips and I knew how much she adored when I sucked on them but I wanted to tease her first. I love watching her build up in anticipation of pleasure. Her brows furrowed and her eyes shut tightly while she waits. She gets a little angry when I have her agonizing. It's so erotically attractive. When I sucked on them, she wormed beneath me; pressing her sweet, hot flower against mine. And with that, I knew that she wanted me to move to that spot.

I kissed my way down the side. She giggled because she's ticklish, but no one other than me knew that. I thought that I was teasing her by taking my time when I was only tormenting myself. I wanted it just as much as she did and the closer I got to that candied place, the more I could taste it on the tip of my tongue. The longing made it so much sweeter for the both of us. She arched her back, so much so that she lifted above the sheets – hovering in immense pleasure.

My hands were slipped beneath her ass, cupping it as I did my best work on her. She tasted so sweet and moist. Her moans were deep and unbearable, making me exude in fervour. Her legs were crossed firmly behind my head. She was really enjoying this. "Oh God!" she screamed as I sucked softly on her clit. "You like that?" I came up to ask but she pushed my head back between her legs with her hand.

I brought her to excruciating apex and hearing her call out my name made it so much sweeter. I smirked darkly at her as she unravelled in my arms. A beautiful smile of gratification played across her lips. I enjoyed making her orgasm much more than I enjoyed my own. The world's most sultry woman she was and I fought so hard to stay out of her rays. They were dulling my self-control.

"Oh my God Emily," she grinned and placed her head on my chest.

"I told you," I blushed feeling so accomplished, "you can rest. You don't have to do me right now."

"You bet your ass I'm gonna do you right now, Ms. Fields," she said climbing on top of me with a devilish smirk drawn on her face; those deceptive eyes searching my body for where to begin.

She was always outstanding in bed – the best I've ever had. Multiple orgasms were her thing and I can't have them without her. She's perfection in one little blonde bottle. At the end of it all, we were both sweaty and heaving in each other's arms.

"How can this only be so good with you?" I asked breathlessly.

"We both know why," she answered with that husky voice; so sexy.

Before I could regain my breath, my phone rang. I reached reluctantly beside the bed for it. It was Paige and when Ali saw, she rolled away from me and faced the door. I pressed my lips together unaware of what to say to her. I answered the phone with my best 'person-that-isn't-cheating' voice.

"Hey you," she replied.

"Hi, Paige," I said, my pitch unusually high.

"I have a surprise for you. Where are you?" she questioned causing me to stammer in fear, "You aren't at the hotel."

"Umm… no," I responded, "H-How do you know that I'm not… not there?"

"Well that's part of the surprise," she laughed obviously excited about her surprise for me.

"You're here?!" I asked scared out of my mind. Alison turned around and sat up with a look of mixed emotions on her face, "Stay at the hotel… I'll umm… I'll come meet you."

After I hung up, I braced myself for Alison's scolding. She was quiet but berated me with her eyes. My mouth fell open yet I had nothing to say to her. I guess, in that moment we had to decide what we were going to do. I wanted to tell Paige about Alison and break things off with her more than anything. Part of me really loved Paige and she makes me feel safe. I never have to worry when I'm with her.

"What now?" she asked and this time a resolution needed to be met.

"I have to go meet her, Ali," I said looking down at the sheets.

"And what about us? What about me?" her eyes were wet but she held back the tears. I knew she was upset and I knew she would hate me if I left to go back to Paige. I couldn't just end what I had just like that. I couldn't hurt Paige like that. I needed more time and that's exactly what I said to Alison. She was furious and walked me out in total sullenness. She barely looked at me when I kissed her good-bye.

I took a cab to the hotel and met with Paige in the lobby. She ran to me in so much glee. I felt like I had 'cheater' plastered across my forehead the entire time and so I was so much more reserved than usual. Thankfully she didn't catch on. She kissed me and wrapped her arms around my body. I smiled shamefully when she pulled away.

"Get a room you two," Ms. Marin said, "literally." We laughed and went up to my hotel room. The girls were in there talking and they jumped up cheering as we both walked in.

"Em," Hanna pulled me aside, "where have you been this long?" I guess she forgot that I went over to "talk" to Alison. Night had already fallen over Rosewood and we all settled down with some cocktails for the night.

I got a message from Alison so I walked away from the group to read it. It was a racy picture of Alison and I in bed together and it read, "Old habits DIE hard don't they? I wonder how Paige and Elliott are going to react to this – A.D." I looked at Hanna petrified enough that she walked over to see what was going on.

"What's wrong Em?" she asked with her eyebrows furrowed. I showed her the phone and she gasped.

"Alison said she got this message from A and so did I," I replied panicked, "what if this person sends this to Paige."

"Let's go out unto the balcony," she said upset and I didn't know if it was with me and my decisions or with this A person. "Why are you doing this? I thought you and Paige were good."

"We are," I said running the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, "it's just… Alison…"

"Alison always gets her way with you doesn't she?" she said rolling her eyes, "Don't ruin a good thing because of her Em. Paige is good for you."

I sighed and walked back inside. Aria was telling the rest about the plans for tomorrow. Her parents had decided to get re-married and they wanted to have the ceremony before we all left Rosewood. The entire time everyone was laughing and making plans for the big day, I sat in quiet uneasiness.


	18. Chapter 18 - Season Of Weddings

Well it was certainly a day to remember for almost every one of us. It was the morning of Aria's parents' wedding, re-wedding or whatever it's called. Somehow I got stuck folding napkins with Paige while the others got to help out the bride. Bringing the corners toward each other weirdly made me think of Alison. I got that stupid, drooling look on my face and the girls knew exactly what it meant. Thank God Paige had no idea, but then again she was clueless about a lot that has been going on. Whether or not I stay with Paige I'm going to have to tell her what I did.

"I can't seem to make that swan thing at all," she smiled widely looking at me, "you seem to be a natural. But you are good at anything you do," _and apparently lying as well_. She leaned in for a kiss and I tilted my face slightly so that her smooth lips landed on my cheek. She seemed not to notice and I blushed it off and nudged her softly.

"Hey guys," Hanna walked in the room blushing with her handsome fiancé on her arm.

"Hi," we both simultaneously responded.

"Guess who decided to surprise me," she said and kissed him on the cheek. Jordan really brings out a bubbly side to Hanna that even I haven't seen before.

"Did you, Paige and Liam plan this hun," she asked her man gleaming. I guess the season of weddings and couples have arrived. Music quickly filled the house while everything slowly came together for the ceremony.

I sat in between Paige and Hanna. The décor was spectacular; lights surrounded the entire backyard and the floor was covered with a white satin-like cloth, sprinkled with rose petals down the aisles. Mr. Montgomery stood at the altar awaiting his bride. His hands were shaking as if it was his first time. When she entered, he got this look on his face. And I knew that look too well. It's that exact look that I get when I see her, when I think of her, even when someone says her name. In that very moment I knew what I had to do. Everything made perfect sense within a couple of seconds. I made the choice between heated love and stable happiness.

I had to get out of there for some air because all of my emotions were playing out in front of an entire room filled with people celebrating matrimonial privilege. My chest started tightening and I didn't even realise that I was hyperventilating loud enough for Paige to hear me. "You okay Em?" she whispered leaning into my space.

"I-I-I'm fine… I just need some air ok? I'll be right back," I said; my voice shaking.

"Do you need me to come with you?" her eyes bore worry into mine.

"No, it's ok," I murmured and got up to leave. Just my luck, the room fell deathly silent and the shuffling of my feet caused the entire congregation to turn around and stare at me. Aria paused and gave me a look of grimace and I mouthed an apology before I hurried out of sight.

When I entered the house, I bolted straight for the kitchen. Through the windows I could see Paige continuously looking back to see if I was coming. I turned around resting my rear against the kitchen sink and tried evaluating my thoughts without distraction. Then I heard that infectious laugh, so like a moth to flame, I sought it out. It was Alison and her boyfriend just entering the Montgomery home. I peeked out from behind the kitchen door to see his hands all over her and then he kissed her sweetly. I guess I must've banged my foot against the door making them jump apart and I retreated back towards the window hoping to catch another glimpse of her taking a seat for the ceremony. I only saw Elliott sifting through the last row. _Where is she?_

"Not the wedding type?" a condescending voice rang through the kitchen. She was always so piercing when she spoke that it was almost frightening if you didn't expect her.

"Ali!" I said when I spun around to find the gorgeous blonde dressed in an aquamarine, skin tight dress. She looked absolutely stunning and I froze in time for a couple of seconds just to admire how beautiful she looked tonight.

"Now why would you be back her by yourself when the party's outside, Fields?" she smirked lightly and her eyes were beaming, as were mine. It was like we were both grateful to find each other, away from everything else. We always do well in isolation.

"Why aren't you sitting with Elliott?" I asked with jealousy staining the statement.

"The same reason you aren't sitting with Paige right now," she said with more condescension but it was hot and in a flirtatious way.

I looked down at my feet nervously and then I willed myself to hold eye contact with her steely blue orbs. They were dark and dominating, and completely distracting. Before I even realised, she had been a few inches away from me.

"Ali we can't," I said jarringly ruining the mood.

"I know," she smiled like it was all a game, "you're worried about Paige right?"

"Do you care at all for Elliott?" I asked sweetly; secretly hoping she'd say she did not and that I was the only one she could ever love.

"Of course I care about him. I wouldn't be with him if I didn't. Elliott has been my rock… since this whole thing with my sister; he's been there for me when you guys couldn't be. He was all I had at a point in time. But I know that's not what you wanna hear and you know that I don't wanna hear how much you love Paige and how she's been there for you. Because Emily… the absolute truth is that I can never love someone the way I love you," her voice started breaking and my throat began burning, trying to hold back something – tears, emotions, words. My mouth fell open to speak but I was speechless, "Emily I wish more than anything to be able to be with you but we just never catch that moment. You know the one where everything is perfectly aligned and meant to be. And I've learnt that sometimes ships are just destined to pass each other forever. It isn't supposed to be this hard and with Elliott and with Paige, it's easy."

A lonely tear rolled down her cheek and I wiped it away before it had a chance to fall. She made complete and depressing sense but I hated every word she said. I was ready to tell her that I wanted us to work and that I would end things with Paige. She placed her soft hand in mine and I couldn't believe I didn't notice immediately when she walked in. The band scraped my palm and I pulled away my hands so quickly cause her to gasp.

I grabbed her hand and raised it to eye level. "What the hell is this?" I asked almost scolding her, "You're engaged?"

"Umm… Elliott proposed tonight. That's umm… That's why we're late," she responded tensely.

I think I rolled my eyes or something I don't remember but I turned around and looked out the window again; ignoring her. She stood behind me in silence for a minute before walking beside me. I continued looking out the window with a straight face.

"Emily?" she called quietly but I continued to ignore her, "look at me please."

"And what Ali!" I screamed and if I'm being totally frank with myself, I had no grounds to be upset with her but I was, "what can you say to me right now. You're marrying this guy. Just yesterday you were ready to drop everything to be with me and now you're getting married?"

"Y-You… you weren't ready to be with me. You couldn't even tell Paige that you were at my house. You said you wanted to feel safe. You don't think I can give that to you. I couldn't wait around to hope that you would've chosen me," she argued.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked consumed with anger, "I've waited for you for years, for you to admit that you had feelings for me; for you to show up… alive. All I do is wait for you and you're telling me that you couldn't wait one day! I made my choice, that's why I'm in this kitchen while my girlfriend is at a wedding for my best friend's parents and I can't stand to sit next to her any longer. Because whenever someone says the word love, your face is all I see!"

"Emily…" she began saying.

"Is everything okay in here," interrupted Paige and Elliott. Our hearts were racing wondering how much of our argument they both heard. Judging from the awkward silence that played after their entrance, I assumed they didn't hear anything but shouting.

"Everything's great," I said berating Alison with my eyes, "Let's get out of here." I grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her out the door and we took our seats. At the corner of my eye I could see Alison and Elliott taking their seats also.

I could feel her staring into the back of my skull and when I turned around her pretty blue eyes were the first thing I notice. And oh, how sad they looked. I could read everything she wanted to say through them but there wasn't anything she could say to make this any better.

Perhaps she was right. Love isn't supposed to be this hard; it isn't supposed to hurt this much. It _is_ easier with Paige and I could imagine how happy that guy probably makes her. Not ever love is meant to be explored and though ours was great, we were toxic for each other or rather the environment around became toxic when we were together.

I couldn't believe that soon she'd be someone's wife and I'd lose her for good.


	19. Chapter 19 - Alcohol and Alison

Everything hurt the morning after. I couldn't even remember having my first drink and yet I'd seem to have enough to grant myself the worst hangover in the history of hangovers. My hands lazily crawled up the bedside-table to check my alarm clock and it was only 7 am – I was ready for the day to end already. Next to me, I felt an arm rub against my thighs; gently squeezing them. I knew it couldn't have been Alison and when I turned around I found Paige naked with the sheets wrapped around her most amazing areas. I smiled and willed myself to the kitchen.

"Hey," said Hanna already up and buzzing around the kitchen, "wild night huh?" She wink and I wasn't sure if she was taunting me about my hangover or the possibly great sex Paige and I had last night.

"I can't remember a thing," I placed my head in my hands while she grabbed me some water from the refrigerator, "Thanks, umm… I think I'm gonna stay home today. I know you guys wanted me to help follow Sara Harvey but I just… I don't feel really up to it today."

"Emily, are you mental?" she retorted as if my request seemed inconceivable.

"Feels that way," I replied circling my temples in attempts to calm the pounding headache, "Look, I really don't feel well."

"Em… the others already know but while you were out of it, Aria found a message in her parents photo-album from A… there's a time bomb on this. We have to find Charlotte's killer before A kills one of us. So suck it up, take an aspirin and pull your weight. Spencer's on her way to the hotel right now."

 _Sigh_. Stating how annoyed I am at that moment would be an enormous understatement. I'm so sick of this A bullshit. I'm sick of this anxiety, I'm sick of this hotel, I'm sick of this town, I'm sick of… her. I walked back into the room to get dressed; Paige had already gotten into the shower. She was leaving today for a few weeks and promised to be back as soon as she could. Honestly, I was a little relieved because being around her right now made me feel entirely guilty.

Spencer and I drove Paige to the airport before we took care of business. Seeing her board the plane brought up some old, sad memories of that time we broke up. Weirdly then, I was cheating on her with Alison too. It was a few days after Ali and I made love for the first time. That night was absolutely mind blowing and up until then, seemed like an unattainable fantasy.

"Emily are you gonna day-dream all day?" Spencer joked but when she saw the exhausted look on my face she became concerned. "What is up with _you?_ You look worse than Ezra did last time we saw him."

"I'm not really in the mood for jokes right now Spence," I muttered looking out the window, wishing I could be anywhere else but on this dead ass stake-out.

"Really Em, what's wrong?" she asked tucking my hair behind my ear.

"It's …Alison… she uhmm… it's nothing…" I trailed off.

"This is about Alison and Elliott? You still have feelings for her don't you?" she asked already knowing the answers.

"W-How did you handle seeing Toby again? With Yvonne?" I struggled to ask for some reason.

"Honestly, Emily, it…" she starting explaining but I had to interrupt.

"Look there's Sara… she's talking to some guy!" I exclaimed and we turned our attention to that. In the back of my mind I wished I'd kept my mouth shut because Lord knows I needed that advice.

That evening we ended up stealing blueprints for the Radley Hotel. We were confused as to why Sara would have these documents. I wasn't up for any more detective work so I left the rest in the hands of the others. The remainder of the day I spent at the school's library.

It was totally by chance that I ended up in that part of the library where Alison and I first kissed. I sat in the spot with folded legs and palms pushing against the floor. It was quiet but my mind was racing with the memory that seemed to play in slow motion. Her bright eyes made tiny by that bubbling smile, the confidence she exhumed in place of my discomfort, she was everything. All I could do is exist next to her while she seemed to radiate throughout the entire room. Her laugh was infectious and I don't mean the provocative one most people were use to after she bullied them, I mean the one where her innocence hid beneath; when something would amaze her in such a simple way.

I loved everything about Alison. Even then when all she was was darkness, I loved her in spite. I had the chance to have her and I blew it. I keep messing up, we both keep missing these opportunities because of doubt when deep down we know, we've always known that we were the right thing, if nothing else was. I sat there thinking about Pip and Estella, thinking about all the possibilities that exist within that moment. I could've just left that place and went straight over to Alison's. I wouldn't have left until I was sure that she was mines. But something kept me there, rooted to the library floor, the same thing that always keeps me from ever getting what I want – Fear.

"Umm excuse me miss, the library is closed now," spoke a fragile little thing across the hallway. I hadn't even noticed that I sat there for hours thinking about this girl. _God I love her beyond anything_.

"I'm sorry," I replied, "I didn't realise it was this late. Have a good night."

I made my way back to the hotel with a dull ache resting on my chest. None of the girls were there so I decided to take a shower and maybe catch up on some sleep. Like i've expressed before, thinking of Alison in the shower was never a good thing. I decided to pass on the shower and take a bubble bath instead.

I put on some soothing music and slid into the warm bubbles. I released a calming sigh and watched as the bubbles popped around me, revealing my naked body. How I wished she was in her with me. I could've pictured it. Her blonde hair made a dark shade due to the water and how haphazardly perfect it would fall in her face. Her lips would've been moist and red because I wouldn't have given them chance without mine smacked against them. I would have taken some champagne on the tips of my finger and traced it alongside her mouth; because apparently I get expensive tastes when I'm around her; and kissed her heavily until she was mine to control.

I got out of the tub momentarily to get some wine into the mix of this fantasy episode. I had enough glasses to make my fantasies seem a little too real. There she was, all the way over at the next end of the tub. Her eyes were narrowed towards me, revealing her naughty thoughts. She slid her foot beneath the water and I felt her toe tap my right cheek. I smirked and rocked my head back on the edge of the tub as she glided her big-toe higher towards my heated spot. I moaned lightly as she circled my clit.

"Tell me how much you like this," she asked with her voice dripping in desire.

I looked up and that look of absolute lust played across her face and turned me on immensely. I held her immoral right foot in place at the bottom of the tub, firmly. As I tried to cut her advances short by crawling over to her, with her left foot, she stopped me in my tracks placing it on my chest. I looked at her trying to read her emotions.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked still keeping me at bay. Without saying a word, I pulled her toes into my mouth. She moaned even louder than I did; sliding a little lower into the tub. I've never been so jealous of water before – how it could touch her everywhere, all at once. I worked my tongue down the side of her legs until my face was right between her trembling thighs. Her skin felt hot and wet. "How are you gonna?" she asked when she realised that what I wanted lay beneath the water.

"I'm really good under water," I said smirking flirtatiously; she bit her lip and giggled cutely. I wiped that smile right off her face as I started devouring her. She gripped the roots of my hair, screaming 'Oh God Yes!'. She wormed so much that water started pouring out of the tub and her legs jammed continuously into the sides of it.

She came soon after, arching her back off of the walls of the tub. Usually she would be limp by then but tonight she seemed insatiable. Her eyes were dark and scorching into mine and I could tell how much she wanted to make me feel the way she was. Before I let that happen, I placed my hand around her throat pinning her down forcefully; her eyes reflected both anxiety and pleasure. Her breasts were glistening in the water, so plump and beautiful. I went for her firm nipples with my hand still choking her. Her moans were somewhere in the middle of pleasure and pain and I could tell that she loved it, of course she loved it, Alison is a very bad girl.

I started fingering the shit out of her next and she was so loud that I knew for a fact that the entire hotel could hear her. Those screams motivated me to go faster and harder. My body started catching fire watching her combust before me. She gripped the hand I had around her throat trying to pull it off and that's how I knew that she was close. I went faster and deeper. Her moans turned into grunts of unspeakable pleasure and her grip on my hand loosened quickly and fell beside her as she orgasmed around my fingers. Her breathing was uncontrollably sexy and every exhale told me how amazing I did.

There was a knock on the door and when I looked towards it and back, Alison was no longer there. It seemed like I was the only one moaning in here. I came back to reality with the most delicious feeling between my legs and the most beautiful thoughts in my head.

I slept so soundly that night with the biggest grin plaster across my face. I couldn't be bothered by anything in the world the next morning. And I was completely at peace until I got a group message from Aria stating that Alison and Elliott got married and that she officiated.


	20. Chapter 20 - Jill Came Tumbling After

Well it was done. She and I were like a bitter memory that needed to be forgotten. _The wife of a doctor huh?_ It definitely suited her and I could remember times when we were younger, she would always say that she'd be rich and famous with a doctor at her side. I don't know why I ever thought that it could've been me. I was never bright enough for a medical degree but I was in love enough just to be at her side if she'd have me.

You all could guess it – another hangover. It wasn't as bad as the last time but the emotion made up for what the alcohol lacked. I think I laid in bed for the entire day just crouched into a little, misshaped ball. Every other second she crossed my mind and my stomach would turn at the thoughts of her sharing these intimate moments with that guy. _Ughhh that guy._ There I was hoping that my little tantrum at the Montgomery wedding would maybe fill her mind with a little bit of doubt, just a tiny spec that could remind her of where she belongs. I don't know why I ever pretend like I can predict Alison. She was the human form of a Magic-8 ball – her mystery was her attraction.

"Hey Fields!" yelled a voice outside my door, "open up!" It sounded like Hanna. She banged on the door with her fists, with her foot, and after a half-hour, her head. Usually, all it would take to pull me out of an Alison whirlwind was one of the girls. Hanna was just the best at it and the most recruited for the job.

"Go away… please… Hanna," I growled. I just needed to be alone and maybe help myself this time. I'm not even going to try to get over her. That would be a colossal waste of everyone's time.

"I'm not gonna go away Em," she responded and the pity in her voice made me feel a new kind of low, "I know that this hurts. I'm so sorry honey but you can't isolate yourself right now. I think maybe it'll do you a world of good to spend some time with your friends… the others are downstairs in the car waiting. We'll be there for another thirty minutes if you decide to change your mind ok."

I waited for her footsteps to soften into to absence before I broke down in tears. I crumpled the sheets between my fists as my crying grew to be uncontrolled. Somewhere during, I stopped feeling sad and became so enraged. I felt completely betrayed by her. I looked out onto the balcony and wondered if the only way I could get rid of her power over me, her eyes from burning into my mind, the memories of us and the thoughts of what we could be, was to just jump over. The thoughts scared me. I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. _Maybe it would be best to lean on the girls right now_.

"Hey Em," Aria said hopping out of the car to greet me. I could tell that she felt somewhat guilty because she officiated the wedding – _the sham of a wedding_.

"Hi," I replied so softly that it was whisper. I got in and we headed out of town for the day. Keep in mind that we were given strict instructions to remain in Rosewood until we were cleared from being suspects.

I had absolutely no idea where we were headed though but I was glad for the illegal ride and the meaningless conversations among the girls. We drove for hours and winded up at some house in a town even smaller than ours.

"Where are we?" I asked because I was under the impression that we were going to have some fun but really this place looked a little 'A'-ish.

"I'm sorry Em… I forgot to tell you," Hanna began confessing, "Spencer went ahead to check out the Radley blueprints with Toby and they found some files leading them back to this house."

"Are you guys kidding me," I said mostly annoyed.

"Look Emily, I know you're in a shitty place right now but we can't just stop everything to baby you…" Spencer droned on insensitively before being interrupted by Aria.

"What Spencer's tryna say… is that we understand that you are going through some stuff and we figured that this can distract you a little."

"Whatever," I huffed and we proceeded to break into the abandoned home.

Vines ran across each and every wall of the little house. It smelt of mole and wet wood. We went in anyways and tried not to touch anything that we didn't need to. Water was dripping from numerous crevices in the ceiling and caused stains all over the house. It looked like no one had been there for some years judging by the surface of dust that covered everything. There were no dishes, no refrigerator, no chairs, just and old cabinet in the living room.

"What's the significance of this place?" I asked. The girls seemed to be looking for something while I walked behind them idly.

"On the file that we found, we saw this address and the name Mary Drake," Spencer answered.

"Wait didn't Charlotte go by the name Cece Drake at one time?" my eyes lit up as if I'd solved the entire thing.

"Yeah, we're hoping maybe this lady helped Charlotte in some way and maybe she can help us find out what really happened to her," Hanna responded.

The girls decided that we should split up and widen the search for any indication of where this Mary person could have relocated to, or any kind of contact information for, really, anyone. I walked downstairs into the basement with Aria. It was even more disgusting down there. The air was dense and clammy with a smell of decaying rats and ancient clothes.

"God it stinks down here," Aria said covering her nose. I snickered a bit at her animated face. "You know Em, I'm really happy you came with us."

"So am I," I responded and then we heard Spencer and Hanna shout out to us. We were so frightened by the alarm in their voices that we sped up the stairs knocking over a few things.

"What! What!" I asked when I found them gawking at a photograph.

"Look at this," Hanna handed the photo to me. I couldn't recognize it at all but they seemed to have figured out something by it.

"You guys don't recognize who this is," Spencer asked shocked at our ignorance, "The dollhouse. Remember when we saw the video of Mrs Dilaurentis holding Alison and Jason and Charles, well Charlotte, were playing together?"

"I don't remember that," Aria answer.

"This picture is a photograph of Charles," she informed us.

"Okay so we found a picture of A. I don't understand why that's important. We already know that this Mary person is connected to CeCe," I responded conceitedly.

"Look at the back of the photo," Spencer said.

I turned it around and to back was some writing. It read:

 **My dear son,**

 **Mommy loves you more than life itself. I hope somehow you know that.**

 **Love always,**

 **Mary Drake.**

My jaw never dropped so hard before. Mrs. Dilaurentis was never Charlotte's mother. This means that she was never related to Alison. But why would Ali's parents lie about a lie? Then again they gave birth to the biggest liar of them all. This family has too many secrets for my liking.

"Guys we have to get this back to Alison," Aria mentioned.

"Can we get out of here? I'm a little weirded out right now, it's getting really dark," Hanna nervously requested and we all agreed to head back to Rosewood.

When we got back, Ms Marin greeting us with a distressed look on her face. She informed us that something had happened to Alison. I was numb while she spoke. Apparently, she fell down some stairs on their honeymoon and now she was in the hospital.

"Oh my God, poor Ali," Aria sighed and looked in my direction. Everyone was looking at me for some kind of response. I couldn't give them what they wanted. Of course, my heart was aching but I knew better than to run to her aid right now.

"We should go see her," Hanna injected.

"I can't right now. There's something I have to take care of first," Spencer declined.

"I can't either, but give her my well wishes ok?" Aria responded.

"I guess I'll go on behalf of the group," Hanna summed up and looked at me with slightly judgmental eyes.

"I can't go!" I exclaimed because I thought she at least would understand my apprehension.

"Alison is in the hospital… she's our friend… you can't just not show up. She would for you and I know that you're worried as hell so just suck it up and go see if she's ok," she scolded me.

I agreed to nonetheless take the trip. There were no promises that I had to get out of the car. We took the ride in silence and when we arrived I told Hanna that I'd park while she went in and checked on Alison. I must've stayed in the parking lot for like an hour before my phone went off.

"Emily what the hell," she whispered but he anger still shot through.

"I-I don't think I can come up," I whimpered.

"Alison wants to see you," she said making my heart pound. "I told her that you would be right up."

"Why would you do that? Why would you tell her is was here?" I whispered deliriously.

"Just get your ass up here!" she replied before she hung up.

I made my way to her room. Whilst in the elevator I practiced my expressions and what I would say to her. Walking to her room I saw Hanna speaking with Elliott in the hallway. They both beamed when they saw me approaching.

"You can go right in," Elliott ensured as if I needed his permission. _God control yourself_.

I walked into the room. She was asleep and I advanced towards her bed slowly trying desperately not to walk her. _Maybe I could just sit here in silence and be marked as present without ever having to interact with her._

I was looking between my phone and the window when I heard her voice call out to me.

"Em?" she said softly, rattling my nerves.


	21. Chapter 21 - Is She Dead?

"Hey you," I sweetly said whilst looking into her eyes. She flashed a smile but it wasn't the one I grew to love so much. I could tell that she was in a lot of pain. She reached out her hands towards me still holding that impaled smile.

"Thank you for coming. I thought that you really wouldn't," she struggled to say. I couldn't tell her that Hanna had to practically force me to get out of the car. I looked around the room nervously for anything to draw subject on. The silence between us always left too much room for feelings and I was not about to explore that again.

"So how do you feel… Ali?" I asked walking over to the table near the window.

She waited until I turned around to respond. "I'm okay I guess. Just a little sore in some places… I actually really wanted to talk to you but you stopped answering my calls and messages," she said looking through me.

My mouth fell open to give a good response but I really did not know what that was at the moment. "Ali, maybe we shouldn't talk about this right now. How did this happen?" I desperately tried to kill the topic.

"I, honestly, don't even know. One minute I'm kissing Elliott…" she stopped realising that I didn't need to know that part, "and the next I'm crashing into the stairs. Elliott wants to sue but the people were so nice, I really just wanted to get out of there."

"Wow… you have to be more careful Alison. That could have gone so many ways," I pleaded; walking over to her bed and holding her hand. I quickly released it when I recognized that it was a little inappropriate. I mean her husband was right outside the door.

She looked at me with that sad look as if, with her beautiful blue orbs, she could take away my obvious agony. She could see right through me and that, I loathed most about our connection. She took her eyes off of mine for a second and looked out the window to see Hanna and Elliott still talking.

"Em… I'm sorry…" she softly said; guilt rolling off of her.

"We can't do this right Alison," I said aloofly.

"But I need you to know…" she started saying before I snappishly interrupted.

"No… I don't need to know anything. I'm not doing this right now. I just want you to focus on getting yourself better ok?" I tried salvaging the light mood which was quickly fleeting.

She looked out the window as I responded. I watched her emotionally tied. She was clearly guilty for throwing us away. A part of me really wanted to hear her out but what good would it do. I lost her.

All of a sudden she began furrowing her eyebrows and pleating her forehead. She seemed to be suffering some kind of pain. I held her hand and called for the nurse. In came Elliott, frantically. She started having a seizure right before my eyes.

"Alison!" I called out becoming completely paralysed by fright. I could hear my own breathing escalate drastically. Elliott began screaming at the nurse asking her what was going on. Her body quaked uncontrollably and her eyes went to the back of her head. By then I was in tears and was asked by the doctor to leave the room, as was Elliott, who refused.

Hanna pulled me out and wrapped her arm around my waist and we both watched them anxiously try to stop the seizing. The doctor must have stuck a million needles into her but her body was not responding.

"She can lose brain function!" the nurse yelled, struggling to hold her on the bed.

Hanna cried into my shoulder while I watched on with my heart stuck in my throat. My eyes were wide but I could not process what exactly was happening to my beautiful blonde. I was beginning to feel my entire body grow numb like this emptiness was slowly creeping up my legs. I think I even looked down to see if it was real.

And just like that she stopped and the beeping of the monitor regained its normalcy. She was unconscious and Elliott held onto her for dear life with tears streaming down his face. I released a massive breath that I had no idea I was holding. And with that, one frightened tear fell from my eyes. I was completely frozen and I looked mindlessly at Hanna who had her eyes shut the entire time. My sleeve was wet from her tears. I couldn't care. I pulled away from her and walked up to the window staring at Elliott still scooping her unresponsive body into his arms and rocking back and forth.

The doctor was drenched in sweat and looked stunned as if this was his first experience with a seizing patient. I was lightly shaking watching the whole thing. Traumatized by the proximity I had to seeing the woman I love die. I have never been scared like that in my life before and the calm of my body slowly returned. I rested my head on the glass and shut my eyes for the tiniest of moments only to be snatched back by the sound of Alison's monitor flat lining.

"Oh God! No no no no no!" I screamed banging on the glass.

Elliott looked at me for a fraction of a second with his mouth completely wide-opened. He then looked at her entirely confused by what was happening before him. The nurse grabbed the defibrillator. The doctor yelled at Elliott to let go of Alison so that they could try to resuscitate her.

"Noooo Ali, nooo please," I said silently in absolute heartache. Watching them drive bolts of electricity through her body made me feel like dying with every shock. Her body jolted and those blonde curls rose and feel with her. Time slowed down and in my head all of our memories and what we could've had rolled around in my shattering mind. I didn't even notice that I had stopped breathing. Then I just didn't feel anything. I fell motionlessly to the floor and the last thing I heard was Hanna yell out my name and the sound of a fourth shock to Alison's chest.

"We can go away. Maybe take a trip to Paris. See the Eiffel Tower, the wind in your hair…" was all I could hear followed by an infectious giggling behind me.

"Ali!" I screamed but I was submerged in nothingness.

"What?" she said, breaking me out of my dream. I was then suddenly in the Dilaurentis' house with that gorgeous blonde standing behind me.

"I… I ughhh…" I struggled to cope.

"You know… you're really cute when you get tongue tied like that. But come on, we've been married for like two years and the sight of me still has that effect on you Fields," she smiled sweetly and then kissed me.

I was so confused as to what twilight zone I was in. I can only imagine the look on my face. I followed her into the kitchen and watched her set the table; stealing chances to peek at me while I looked at her in scepticism. _What the hell is going on?_

"Are you ok there?" she smirked while placing the last fork on the table.

"Umm… I'm just… we're married?" I asked still lost in this altered reality.

"Babe, are you ok?" she began feeling concerned, "you're scaring me now."

"I'm fine… I…" I really could not form words.

"Come here," she said pulling me towards her, "are you still upset about the puppy. I honestly thought you would love it. I mean look at him." She pointed towards the cutest little Shih Tzu pup bolting into the kitchen. "Look he loves you. And so do I."

"Alison something is very wrong here!" I shrieked when I finally had enough of the crazy.

She was startled and the little puppy ran out of the kitchen when I yelled. I put my head in my hands feeling sorry for losing my cool.

"What's going on?" she said sweetly, rubbing my back gently. We both walked into the living room and sat on the couch. I looked around noticing the myriad of pictures of us stuck to the walls. I flew up off the couch to inspect them. There was one of us snowboarding in the Mammoth Mountain, there was another of us on our wedding day. I pick that one up and in it were all of the girls posing beneath us and me looking infatuatedly into Ali's eyes. The last one that caught my attention was of us in Paris.

"We honeymooned there," she said walking over to me, "do you really not remember these things? The amazing croissants, the Eiffel Tower, the wind in your hair…" as she spoke her voice became more and more spaced out and difficult to hear until the reality faded away.

"Emily!" Hanna exclaimed and hugged me so tightly that I could not breathe.

"Alright take it easy there," another nurse said while she checked my responsiveness.

"You scared me so badly," she said. Her eyes were red hot like she had been bawling for a while. She quickly tried to wipe them clear when she saw me notice that she had been unhinged this entire time. "I called the girls and they are on their way up here right now."

"Hanna… where…" I took the deepest breathe to prolong the question. I was deathly afraid of the answer she would give me, "where is Alison…"

She sniffled and reached for my hand. Her pretty blue eyes began filling up again and she looked down at her lap and summed up on her courage.

"Oh my goodness Emily," Aria came bursting through the doors. Those innocent and vibrant green orbs drowning in tears. She rushed over and bundled me up into her tiny arms. Soon after Spencer came in straight-faced, trying her hardest to remain strong. I could see it in her eyes. The way she overcompensated by tightening her jaw muscles.

I found a way to pull apart from Aria. "Hanna! Where is Alison," I damn nearly squawked, jumping the whole room. They all worriedly looked at each other waiting to see who would break first. "Damn it! Answer me!"


	22. Chapter 22 - Remember Me

"Spence?" I pleaded for her to answer; for anyone to at least acknowledge that they could hear me asking something.

"Look Em," she started and her dark eyes looked down at the foot of my bed. I could tell that she was nervous because she usually contorts her hands, as if stretching her joints, when she was choking on her words.

"Oh God is she dead!" I burst into hot tears, covering my mouth with bandaged hands.

"No! No!" Aria grabbed my arm as if attempting to bring me back from the impending depression I was ascending towards, "Alison… well she isn't dead… but… she can't remember anything."

"She can't remember?" I questioned like the answer she gave could not register in my brain.

"Emily the seizure made some significant damages to Ali's brain. As of now, she doesn't know who we are…" Spencer wiped a lonely tear from her cheekbone when she spoke. And with a sniffle she continued; the others in a cold silence, "the doctors aren't sure if she'll regain her memory at all… They're gonna keep her for observation and to run more tests. It doesn't look good Em."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I mean it's better than her being dead but losing her memory. She was probably so afraid and I knew I had to do something. My gorgeous blonde needed me. My emotions went from a sombre displacement of thoughts to this gust of heat almost propelling me to see her. The girls quickly noticed the erratic glaze in my eyes and they all jumped up as if to block me from leaving my bed. I become hostile very quickly when it came down to protecting my girl and if they even thought for the minutest of seconds that they would stand in my way then… this evening wouldn't have ended pretty.

"Emily?" Aria tried the begging approach whilst holding out her tiny arms. I plucked the cords from my arms chaotically as I tried to balance myself at the edge of the bed.

"Em, you can't do that," Hanna spoke but with little restrictive effort because she knew that, really and truly, it didn't matter what anyone of them had to say.

"Emily… you need to rest," Spencer stepped towards me placign her hands on my shoulders. The reserve in her eyes made me feel a little guilty because I didn't want the girls to be fearful of me but I needed to get out of there. I needed to see what was going on with the woman that I loved.

"Spencer," I calmly said; closing my eyes as not to appear deranged and trying to remain as composed as I could, "Spencer… get your hands off of me… please. Hanna… Aria… get out of my way." I spoke having to take deep breaths in between a few words.

They all backed away and allowed me to pass. I wobbled down the corridor, dragging against the walls of the hospital for support. I could hear the girls' footsteps near behind because they seemed apprehensive to assist me.

"Emily, wait up!" Hanna called out and I ignored it. I flew pass door by door searching feverishly for my girl. I saw 'Rollins' on the patient's information box in front of room 103 and I barged in like I owned the place. The curtain had been pulled around her bed so I wasn't sure if she was even there. I yanked it back hoggishly.

The girls stood by the door not feeling sure of what distance I would find appropriate - you know like how those film makers stay a safe distance from a lioness when she's comforting her ailing cub. She lay on the bed asleep. Her eyes had dark circles around them and her skin was a pale hue, probably from the loss of oxygen earlier or the amount of medicine they're probably pumping into her. I wanted to die seeing her like this. My perfect princess just defenceless and scared. I started sobbing while I stood, weakly, at the side of her bed.

"Em…" one of them said in pity.

I pulled the bedside-chair closer to her and sat in it, holding her cold hands. I couldn't control my weeping at this point and I knew that she wasn't dead and I could not for the life of me understand why this hurt so much.

The girls finally walked in. Hanna and Spencer hugged me on each side while I stayed gripping her hands. Aria held her other one. We probably stayed like that for a whole hour.

It was growing dark and the girls waited for the right time to signal their departure. I remained seated holding her hand. By then, I only had red puffs where my eyes use to be. I could hardly breathe from the stuffiness in my nose.

"Emily do you want us to walk you back to your room?" Spencer asked and mirrored the sadness in my eyes.

"I uhhh… I think I'm gonna stay… for a… for a bit longer," I struggled to say.

They all left with their heads hanging in grief. All I could think about was how cold her hands felt and how I would give the world to change places with her. Alison with no memory of her life, of herself, of… me. I couldn't live with that – if she opened those bright blue eyes and it bore uncertainty of who I was. Her not knowing how much I love her, not remembering all the unforgettable times we had.

I shut the door to her room and got into bed with her. I wrapped my long arms around her and tried to warm her up. She stayed unconscious as to what was happening. My chin was nestled on her shoulder and my body shaped to fit her side. I must've left a pool of tears on her hospital gown that night. I kissed her neck sweetly and brushed the playful, blonde strands from her face. She crinkled her cute nose when I did and I couldn't help but flash a small smile. _How can I have let her slip from my hands_?

I spent the night protecting her, keeping her warm. The monotonous beeping of the monitors in her room quickly became a lullaby for me. Of course I tried my extreme best to stay up for her but I was still so weak from my accident that I drifted to sleep before I even knew it.

I was awakened by a not so soft poke on my face. I opened my tired eyes to reveal big blue ones staring back at me. Not sweetly, like they usually are, but a little crazed. I hopped up trying to give her some distance but she started yelling immediately.

"Who the hell are you? Why the hell are you in my bed?" her eyes scanned the room fitfully looking for something to hit me with. She looked outside the window for a nurse or anyone that could help her, before turning back and shouting, "You're one of those creeps that defiles patients in their sleep, aren't you?!"

I outstretched my hands and 'shhh'ed her praying that no one was hearing all of this. She sat on the bed and reached over to the draw, pulling out one the nurse's pens. I was quickly growing tired of this insane behaviour. I had to make her remember before she stabbed me.

"Alison?" I checked to see if she remembered her name.

"What!" she barked back, startling me slightly. I decided to take one step closer, dropping my guards completely and hoping that she'd trust me. "Take one more step, you creep, and I swear to God I will shove this pen so far up your ass…"

"Alison… it's me Emily… I'm your… I'm…" I struggled to say.

"Spit it out!" she growled with widened eyes.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. We've known each other for more than ten years now. We're best friends," I tried explaining but apparently to no avail.

"I don't have any best friends. Friends are for the weak. Besides, I would never trust someone that thought that they could pull off sweats and sandals," she jabbed at me, harshly. I always thought she appreciated my style and it has gotten a lot better *sad face*.

"Look!" I was more impatient now, "put the pen down and relax."

"Nurse! Nurse!" she started yelling. Thank goodness it was early in the morning and the halls weren't yet bustling with traffic. I saw the rays of a light go on down the hallway as if someone might've heard her screams. She kept calling and calling and calling, no matter how much I tried quieting her down. I had to do something so… so I just kissed her!

She fought it for a second but then her hands quit banging on my collarbone and rested soothingly on my shoulder. It was working and when I realised this, I put everything I had into that kiss. If she didn't remember who I was by that then no amount of medication or surgery would help her. I don't know where it came from but the surge of electricity in that one little kiss made tears fall from my eyes and I know Ali felt it too because she was also in tears. That had to have been one of the most surreal experiences of our entire relationship.

I pulled away slowly barely making movements at all. I stopped at her eyes and that was the closest brown has ever been to blue. We were so close that her eyelashes brushed against my cheek when she blinked in disbelief. Her mouth was open and I knew that a stranger just planting a huge kiss on someone would leave that sort of speechless effect.

With a staggered exhale, she looked at my lips and then at my eyes. Not the way they looked at me before but in a way as if she knew me. "Ali?" I asked hoping she'd returned to me.

"Emily?" she whispered and placed her fingers on her lips; tracing where I kissed her.

I smiled hugely so much so that my eyes probably disappeared in the grin. She was frozen still and I understood that maybe a lot of memories, overwhelming memories, were flooding its way back to her mind. During my gush of glee, Alison's eyes started to water furiously but she still held that dazed look. I wondered what she was remembering at that point.

I could've asked but soon after Elliott came crashing through the doors, followed by two nurses. He ran over to her and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes when he did – the same way she would when I did. I swallowed my feelings and gave him a subtle smile.

"What happened?" he asked, directing this to me.

"I uhhh, I came in to check on her… a-and she… I think she remembered who I am," I replied.

"Nurse Peters, please go get the doctor," said the other nurse, "this is wonderful news."

"Do you remember me honey?" he asked her but she could only fix her eyes on me and I was becoming a tiny bit embarrassed. She had been speechless this entire time and I was deathly afraid of what she might say next.

"I… ummm… I think I'm gonna… head back to my room now," I flustered to say and made some more distance between us. She still had that astounded look on her face, "hope you feel better Ali. I'm in room 115."

I left the room looking back at my beautiful girl ever so often and I watched that man try his best to comfort her. I watched until her stunning face was out of sight. I walked back to my room with my mind in a whirl. _Thank God she remembered, but that kiss… that kiss was everything…_


	23. Chapter 23 - Shut Up And Kiss Me

It shaped up to be another awful night. I was few doors down from the girl next door - my dirty blonde, my sweet, sweet Alison. I couldn't believe she remembered me… just by a kiss. It was probably the best kiss we ever shared. Her cherry lips felt like they haven't been kissed every night like they should have; her alabaster skin, bruise less as if she hadn't been touched like I should have. What kind of man, with a woman like that in his bed, wouldn't trail marks alongside her slender neck.

I sat up in that uncomfortable bed thinking about her all night. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her pretty little head. Were they thoughts about me? God she looked like she saw a ghost when I kissed her. I felt everything we had gone through in that one, too short of a kiss and I hope that she felt it too. Since I pulled away, all I ever wanted to do was kiss her again, and again, and again… for the rest of my life.

"Emily?" I heard a sweet whisper followed by three subtle knocks on my door. I watched the silver knob turn insecurely and the door swung forward. She walked in with those big blue eyes that no amount of darkness could hide, and my room was very dark. The rectangular bursts of light that forced its way through the cracks in the window shades, crossed her entire body in a zebra-like fashion and when she walked towards me, they ran in succession down her body until each one disappeared.

"Alison?" I asked as if I had been puzzled by her visit when really my prayers had been answered. Although, I was eager to learn why she came to my room. I looked at her and waited for her to speak.

She hopped up on my bed and just blankly looked at me. It was like she was trying to put the pieces of her feelings together and yet questioning whether or not any of it was real. "Did we…" she started saying but could not get the rest out.

I opened my mouth to maybe guide her but I was a little embarrassed myself to attempt. _Emily this is no time to be coy_! "Ali," I started, my tone soft, trying to soothe her.

"No wait," she interrupted and flashed those blues at me; looking straight through me, "… I think I remember but… I don't understand… I'm married… right? I mean how could I be married if I feel… when I feel…"

"What? What do you feel?" I hung on to her every word like she had been reading me the greatest book ever written.

"I'm in love with… I ummm… I should go," she looked away quickly and as she was about to get up I grabbed her hand. She looked around and then watched my grip on her hands. She didn't try to pull away or anything, she just sat submissively.

"You love _me,_ " I said in a directive tone, "and I am so in love with you Alison… Lauren Dilaurentis." I inched around closer to but not forcing myself onto her. I waited to see what she would do next. She just looked at me like everything was all too overwhelming to her and I cupped her face with my right hand.

She leaned into it and closed her eyes; completely pacified my touch. When her eyes opened they were pools of tears. We did that thing, the annoying thing we use to do when we would just stare into each other's souls for minutes on end. _What should I do? Should I kiss her again? It feels like that kind of moment._

She pulled in two short breaths trying desperately to keep her sobbing silent. I had to kiss her. It was the only thing I could think to do. She looked so distraught and I wanted to take everything away. I never, ever want to see those kinds of looks on her face. I pulled her in and crashed my lips against hers and this time it wasn't that sweet kiss. It was heavy and rough like lovers who hadn't seen each other in years. It was filled with longing and sexual frustration. Hands were flying all over and she rummaged through my long brunette hair while she pushed against the kiss with the same strength I pushed.

Things were heating up faster than I thought they would and I could feel her assume a fire that I hadn't quite ever felt from her. I was pooling where I sat and allowed her to dominate me. My hands gripped the small of her back and she still had her hands protruding my raven hair. I moaned softly into her mouth and she began making sounds like she wanted me right then and there. She was running a race of her own and the more we made out, the more she whimpered in anticipation. It was incredibly hot.

"Alison," I said with a breathy voice, I could barely breathe. She kept kissing me so I could hardly get words out, "Ali," kiss, "Al," kiss, "Ali," kiss. I placed my hands on either sides of her face forcing her to stop. She was feverish and her eyes were dark and determined. _Oh My God it was sexy_. "Alison… are you sure wanna do this… I mean you are married and that's like I sin or something I don't know but I don't wanna make you do something…" I was barely able to get the last words out of my mouth before she cut me off.

"Shut up," she said sternly with her teeth gritted. She pushed passed my restraints and kissed me again needless to say I enjoyed this.

"But Ali…" I spoke into her mouth.

"God Emily," she exhaled heavily, obviously exasperated by my lack of co-operation. I actually wanted to smile during all of this. "Look," her eyes were hot flames, "from what I remember, I have never been such a good girl… I don't like rules… Can we just enjoy this?" I shook my head ravenously; completely under her hypnotism. We both smiled and continued our efforts to consume one another.

I tore apart her night gown causing her to gasp in surprise then she followed it with a devilish smile and ripped mine exposing only my firm breasts, which were already uncovered. My nipples were rigid and begged for her to caress them. She obliged and I threw my head back in profound and unwavering pleasure.

She sucked on them so soft that it felt like she barely were touching them at all. I moaned so loudly when she unexpectedly bit the left one that she had to cover my mouth while she apologized with her tongue. My muffled screams seemed to turn her on way more and she went lower trailing kissing and leaving purple marks on my body.

She quickly arrived at the lining of my panties. I knew that she would tease me here but that didn't stop it from absolutely blowing my mind. Her teeth grazed the flesh that had sweetly risen from the tightness of my panties. I think I yelled her name or something when she did. After driving me senseless, she used the palm of her hands and rubbed my core. Her hand was like a hot branding tool against the wetness that I became.

Seeing me buckle at her advance, she looked up at me very much proud of her work and bit those plump pink lips. I could tell that she felt confident that she had me right where she wanted me. She did. Her long fingers slipped slowly under the fabric crawling and worming its way into me. I arched off the mattress and cursed her name. _How can it only feel this good with her?_ She wasted no time before shoving three fingers into me and thrusting them rapidly. I mirrored her pace by driving my hips forward and allowing her to pound me even harder.

My eyes had been shut so tightly in desire this whole time. I felt my hair knocking against my lower back from how hard we were going at it. The bed was aching and made almost as much noise as I did. I was so close to breaking. I opened my eyes to look into hers and they seared into mine. I couldn't be the only one having this much fun, although I knew she loved having me in this position. I had to do something.

I kissed her, well I tried, but all I could do was attach my lips to hers and call for God because I felt the surges of heat rushing through my entire body but I had to wait. She couldn't make me cum so fast. I forced my hands into her underwear and returned the favour. I had a lot of catching up to do. She tossed her head back in pleasure. I could see how excited she was, so wet and warm and had been waiting for me all this time. I stuck three fingers into her and used my thumb to circle her swollen clit. Her eyes rolled back in satisfaction and her hold on me began to weaken but she still kept it up.

"Oh… Oh my God!" she screamed and he mouth made the shape of an 'O'. All good things begin with that letter.

"I love you so much Ali," I said completely ruled by my emotions that had been in a flurry given the millions of neurons firing, trying to make my body aware of the over-stimulation I was experiencing. I was two seconds away from igniting around her fingers.

"Don't stop… Please… Don't," she struggled to say while her body jolted back and forth.

"You wanna come with me baby?" I said breathlessly but I could barely keep it together any longer.

"Yes… yes… yes!... ohh ohh God yes!" she came without warning and I followed close after needing only to watch that happen to find my release.

We held onto each other drawing on the bolts of sensation coursing through our bodies. We made it last as long as we could. And when it was over, we were wrapped in each other, tightly like nothing in the world could ever separate us. I was a heaving mess fighting to catch my breath but she caught hers sooner than I did. She looked and smiled at me; her chest rising and falling in silence.

"I love you too," she muttered quietly.

"hmm?" I asked not clearly hearing her.

"I said I love you, Emily Fields," she said and kissed me.

She got up after a while and wrapped the bedspread around her body. She kissed my forehead and I grinned like I just lost my virginity. I felt the stupidity in my smile and she gave me the cutest little giggle then snuck out of my room and down the hall.

I went right to sleep a few minutes after and hoped that what just happened would replay in my dreams.


	24. Chapter 24 - Memories

Hands down the best sleep I've had in a while. I couldn't wait to get out of the hospital today but I really did not want to leave Alison here all alone. Before I could rub my eyes for the second time, the girls entered my room grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey," Aria opened up the conversation and I smiled and returned a scratchy 'Hi'.

"What's wrong with your voice," Spencer asked with a look of slight disgust and concern involuntarily plastered across her shrewd face.

"Umm… I don't know, maybe it's from the cold air that got in through the blinds," I stated whilst looking over to the window. I knew exactly where my horse voice came from – screaming 'Alison' all night.

Hanna walked over and hugged me, flashing a sweet smile and started gathering up my things. I hopped off my bed and helped. I had hoped to finish in time to catch Alison before her doctor's visit which usually seemed to take more than an hour. Today she had to have some tests done and I knew that the girls, much as they loved her, would not want to wait around. I couldn't ask them too, besides my mum was home worried sick.

"We stopped by Alison's before we came to your room," Hanna said looking for a reaction in me but abnormally, I continued packing, "she remembers us. She remembers you better I'm sure."

They all laughed a bit and continued talking over my concentration. I was in my own little world for about a solid fifteen minutes before I noticed Aria returning with breakfast for me. I decided that it'd be best to have that to go.

"Guys," I said looking up at them, "I…" I was sure I would tell them what happened with Alison and I but a small piece of me felt ashamed. I mean, she is married and well history always shows me having some silly high-school fantasy of something real ever coming out of Alison and me, together. There was something there, something undeniably real but it just never materializes. We had everything it took but the timing was almost always off. "Can you guys take my stuff to the car and give me a few minutes."

"What for?" Hanna ignorantly asked and the others looked at her as if she had been absent for the past ten years of my life. Its Alison, it's constantly Alison.

They complied and headed to the carpark with my stuff. I wrapped my purple jacket around my waist, took a deep breath and proceeded down the hallway. I arrived at her room window and I saw her talking with her husband. I made myself unnoticeable and just observed the dynamics of their interaction.

She had such a dejected and drained look in her eyes wanting to roll them at every word he said to her. I must say that stroked the ego quite a bit. Grabbing a newspaper from the security desk, I remained inconspicuous. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and exited the room. She then got up and started packing her things into a small black travelling bag.

I seized the opportunity and darted for her room. She didn't even turn around when I entered and I didn't do it quietly either. She must've thought it was Elliott. I wished that she had thought that more often and married me instead. _Joking, but really?_

"Hey," I whispered a couple of feet away from the blonde.

She turned around with the cutest smile upon hearing my voice. "Hey."

"You're getting out?" I asked with a slightly puzzled look etched in my eyes.

"Yeah… I'm getting out," she spoke with a higher than usual pitch but her demeanour was the complete opposite. "Apparently I'm fully recovered and I can just go home." She looked at me with longing in her pretty blue eyes and I could tell that she wanted nothing more than to come home with me instead. Things were complicated and now didn't really seem like the perfect timing to just drop everything.

"So am I," I smiled cheekily, totally ignoring the heaviness in her tone.

"Emily… Do you think…" she started saying something before her husband walked in the room.

"All packed sweety?" he walked over and kissed her on the forehead. She completely stopped talking and resumed packing while I awkwardly became furniture in the background.

Elliott got the remaining bags and walked out again. Alison focused her attention to me now. And it honestly seems like I will never get over those immature feelings of butterflies in my stomach whenever I'm in her crossbows. I looked passed my nervousness and summoned courage to look her dead in those baby blue pools. She walked over to me in this nonchalant way. It was hot, especially when her eyes would flick between my lips and my eyes. I could always tell when she wanted to kiss me.

My breath hitched and when she put her hand on my chin; lifting it up, basically forcing me to maintain contact with her, my mouth fell slightly open – dominated by the uneasiness she created in me. I wanted her so bad that every part of my body felt like it was pulling me towards her. I bet she liked the influence she had on me – the ability to make me hot and bothered by hardly touching me at all.

"I want you to come over tonight," she said in that soft, breathy and completely seductive voice, "… so we can… _talk_ ," she finished and her eyebrows bounced confidently on the accentuation of the word 'talk'. I swallowed a big gulp of sexual craving and shut my eyes in desperate attempts not to downright have an orgasm right then and there.

When I opened my eyes she was gone and things were really beginning to feel like some silly smut-story in some obsessed girl's fanfiction. Nonetheless, I was more than willing to explore this new phase between Alison and I – explore it all night long.

As soon as I could manage to walk normally, I walked over to the door – ready to leave – until I saw one of Ali's dolls on the bedside table. I'd recognized that doll anywhere. She'd take it on every and all sleepovers we would have. Neither of the girls ever saw that doll but she showed it to me. She said that it was the most special to her and that she could never sleep without it. Is it weird that after ten years I had just now noticed how much that doll looked like me? It is absolutely flattering – made me melt a little thinking of teenage Ali – she had a thing for me, even when she'd make me feel like I was nothing and that she could never love me. I believe now that she did.

Seeing that doll brought up so many incredible memories of when we were younger – one in particular. We decided to join this new camping club that the school was offering. Alison practically forced us to join only because the camp had a bi-monthly camping trip and one of them was in Aspen. Alison always wanted to vacation there and she figured what better way to go, than with her friends and on one that was free.

Of course she never really was the outdoorsy type of girl. She would always say to us, "If you can't wear heels, then that's not the place to be my darlings." I would always roll my eyes at her nonsense – never so that she could see. I for one was really looking forward to roughing it out in the valley; the smell and sounds of nature, being hands-on with everything.

The campsite was pretty traditional. We had the campfire, the scary stories to which my blonde had the time of her life leading, and then the food. Roasting those franks was the highlight of the trip for Hanna and Alison was sure to poke fun at her over-enthused smile when the camp-master brought out the bag of sausage.

"Hey Han… go easy on the meat tonight… you already have so much on you," she flashed a fake sad-face and continued her advisory which almost always felt like daggering insults, "I mean come on… how do you ever expect Corey Haynes to ever look your way if you just look like a big… fat…"

"Ali," Aria would usually interject whenever Alison was going too far.

"What?" she said with narrowed eyes and continued, "Han you know I'm just being a friend… I only want the best for you… I'll always tell you the truth." She smiled and Hanna returned one but in her eyes were tears and shame. She couldn't even finish her sausage.

"Hanna, are you alright?" I asked as soon as the Dilaurentis storm subsided.

"I-I'm fine," she said with a croak and got up and left with soft sobbing. Aria got up and ran behind her. I felt so bad for Hanna when Ali would demean her like that. I knew that I should have stood up and said more but I was enchanted by the girl, nothing she did ever seemed wrong to me.

Alison gave a laughing scoff and looked at me as if I shared the same thoughts as she did. I looked down at my fingers, nervously playing with the coarse material of my jeans. "Someone needs to teach that girl how to have a backbone," she smiled.

"You know Alison," Spencer started and my eyes lit up in discomfort. I always hated when these two would butt heads. I looked on anxiously in silence. Spencer made a face of disgust, looking at Ali like she was the dirtiest scum of the earth.

"What Spence!" Alison answered annoyed and cocked her head to the side already anticipating Spencer's impending tantrum.

"You really don't have to be so rude to Hanna… to any of us. All we do is follow you around and let you decide everything and the least you could is show us a little respect. One day you're gonna come across someone that's gonna put you smack in your place and then you'll learn that you can't treat people the way you do," her words were venomous and I could see a sprinkle of fear in Alison's eyes but it was quickly washed away by a little laugh and a devilish smirk.

"Now that's a backbone," she glared at Spencer. Alison got up from the fire and walked in the direction of the woods.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked and she continued making a few more steps before she turned around with that provocative glow in her eyes.

"I'm leaving… Did you guys really think that I would come all the way to Aspen to sit around the fire and tell stupid stories… come on, do you guys know me at all," she smiled wolfishly.

"Wait a minute; you brought us all the way out here just to leave us? Alison you literally forced us to join this stupid club!" Spencer shouted infuriated, "I hate camping," was I the only one excited about the actual trip, "you can't just leave, what are we supposed to say when Ms Laurad asks about you."

"I'm sure you guys could think of something," she said rolling her eyes and then turning on her heels to walk away.

"If you leave this camp… I'm telling," Spencer said and I got that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. You never ever corner Alison, worse yet threaten her, no matter how small a threat. _RIP Spencer._

The playful smile had quickly faded when Alison spun back around and she took two steps towards us freezing both Spencer and I in place. "You wouldn't dare," she said with hell in her tone and we were all aware of how vindictive Alison could be, "speak a word of this and I'll make sure that the rest of your pathetic, stuck-up, no sense of style having ass life is a living hell. Why don't you take your scarecrow body back into your little tent and think about how no boy is ever gonna look your way twice in a _long_ … long time."

Spencer walked off towards the direction of the other girls; discretely wiping away her tears. I remained where I stood looking at Alison, probably waiting for my 'happy' send-off too.

"What!" she barked upon seeing my look of disappointment. "You have something to say too?" I swallowed and stayed quiet and she turned to leave again.

"Ali," I quietly called out to her, "where are you going?" I had such innocence back then. I barely had a voice but that night I was intent on making her stay.

"Why do you even care?" she said with her back turned to me, "why don't you go back with Fat Albert, Tiny Tim and Scary Spice over there." She had a joking face when she said it but never really smiled at the creative insults.

"Stop it Ali," I asked looking away shyly, not wanting to fight.

"You know, I can't seem to figure you out. I know you hate it when I'm mean to the girls and yet you never say a word," she raised an eyebrow teasing me in order to erect some sort of reaction. I stood there quietly still looking away from her hot gaze. "I'm gonna go."

"Alison," I was stern this time and she turned again with the biggest, semi-crazed smile on her face as if my directness impressed her somehow. She poked her cheek with her tongue and walked right up to me.

"Emily," she said softly and sweetly. I felt her cool breath rush across my face. It was intense and she just stood there, inches away from me, knowing exactly what that does. She smirked and comically narrowed her blue eyes.

"Where are you going?" I asked again.

"I'll tell you when I get back," she said and her eyes berated mine in what seemed like the most unfair tug-o-war in the history of time.

"Alison," I relentlessly pressed on and she scoffed aggravated; closing her eyes and trying not to strangle me. My heart was pounding in my chest but a part of me really wasn't going to give up without an answer. I loved the girl. I had to protect her. I needed to know.

"Fine Emily… I'm going to a college party to meet this hot senior that I've been getting to know," my heart broke a tiny bit when she said that. I gave up and walked away without saying goodbye or trying to stop her. She could've gone and done whatever the hell she wanted.

She watched me walk away and I could tell that my actions puzzled her. I guess she must have expected me to continue chasing her. _Did she want that?_

Anyways, Alison left the campsite for nearly the entire night. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that I heard someone calling out to me and tugging at the zipper of my tent.

"Who's there!" I yelled in fright only to be "shhh" by a half drunk Alison.

"Open up Em," she begged and of course I complied.

She crawled into my tent reeking of booze and slurring her words. I scooted over to make room for her and she lay down with her back facing me. I could hear her crying quietly and I sat up wondering if I should even ask.

"Ali, what's wrong?" I eventually did and pulled her waist, forcing her entire body to turn around.

"Nothing Em, go back to sleep," she lied and the black mascara ran down her face.

"Are you hurt," I asked and searched her body for any marks. She pulled her hand away angrily and shrugged me off.

"I said I'm fine!" she squawked.

"Alison, don't lie to me. Why do you have to be such a dick!" I surprised myself and gasped when I let it slip.

She sat up shocked and smiled a little. "Wow Em, thanks." She wiped off the tears and played with her fingers in her lap. "The guy that I went to meet at the party… when I got there… he was in bed with another girl… he didn't even care that I found him like that or that I came all this way to see him… how could I be so stupid, thinking that some rich, hot college guy would ever be interested in _me_ …" She looked at me with sad, sad eyes and I couldn't help but hug her.

My heart ached seeing her lose all of her confidence just like that. She lay back down facing me and I followed. "Any guy would be lucky to have someone as beautiful as you," I said and I regretted leaving the door open to only guys so I corrected it, "anyone would be lucky. You're the most beautiful girl in the world."

She smiled and I was so happy to see that smile again. She looked into my eyes, finding solace and unconditional love and for a second I really thought that I saw the same thing in hers. "Do you mean that," she whispered like no one had ever said those words to her but I knew that people told her all the time, how beautiful she was.

"Of course I do. You are so beautiful Alison," I let my heart pour out. She stared at me and the tears made her eyes look even more amazing - like pools I wanted to drown in. She then leaned in and kissed me. We spent the rest of the time kissing that morning and I wasn't aware that she even really cared about it as much as I did - I always kind of thought that she was just vulnerable, drunk, and looking for comfort. That trip was amazing.

 _Oh wait that memory had absolutely nothing to do with the doll._ It was still a good memory though. I left the hospital room shutting the door behind me with the doll swinging in my hands. When I got to the car, the girls were all pissed that I took so long, but I was recovering so they all held their tongues much to my relief.

 _Boy I can't wait to go over to Ali's tonight…_


	25. Chapter 25 - Let's Talk Emily

The look on my mother's face when she saw me made me wince a little. I hated having to worry her like that especially since dad died. I could only imagine the sleepless nights she had since the incident.

"Hey sweetie," she rushed over and squeezed me so tightly that I could feel my insides squish together. I smiled through the pain and managed to wrap my arms around her embrace.

"Hey mum," she pulled away with that smile that preceded tears but I quickly brought up another topic else I would have been mopping the floors all evening. "You know, you haven't really had pudding until you've tried the hospital's special chocolate swirl. Ugghhhh it is a-mazing."

I walked into the living room; dropping my bag casually on the floor and flopped on the couch. She stood at the doorframe and just smiled at me. I narrowed my eyes at her expression and became fully enthralled as to what she was thinking about. _But I knew that look_.

"So… I heard Alison was doing better," she said taking a couple steps into the livingroom, "and that she was also released today… I made dinner but I can only assume that you're not going to be staying very long…" She held that childlike grin across her face.

 _Hmmm_. Did she seem to forget that Alison is married? I mean I know that I should be the last person drawing reference to that – seeing that I had earth moving sex with the married woman – but it was a little insulting that my own mother would peg me for someone that would disrespect the sacrament of marriage – even though I did, _I totally did_.

"Mum… really, you're back on this? Alison is married, and…" I began lying through my teeth and she cut me off, sternly at that.

"Emily Fields, don't you lie to me. I know every time you and Alison 'bump' into each other," she stressed and used finger quotations on the word bump, "you always have a spaced out look in your eyes and you ball your fists up really tight." That made my skin crawl – knowing that my mother knew every time I made love to Alison.

"Ewww mum! Could you not, like really… that's not my 'tell' ok? I always have a spaced out look," I pitifully endeavoured to defend my dignity.

"Right… so why is it that you haven't taken off your coat yet or your shoes… You are going over to her house aren't you?" she smirked assertively lie she had everything figured out. I wish I had her intel because I had no clue of how things were going to be between Alison and I.

I laughed and shook my head. Maybe a half an hour went by before I badgered the clock to move its ass so that I could run over to that big old house down the street. I huffed and looked out the window to maybe get a glimpse of Ali. I desperately wanted to waltz over there and have my way with the blonde. _Why the hell am I waiting?_

"Mum!" I yelled upstairs, "I'm heading out okay? I'll text you when I'm on my way home."

"Mhhmmm," she replied and I could hear the taunting in her tone immediately. It made me smile but that was quickly sponged away by nerves building in my stomach the closer I got to Alison's house.

I walked up to the door and knocked on it tensely. I heard her tiny feet shuffle closer and closer to the door. She opened it and flashed that kilowatt smile and backed away making room for me to enter. I cautiously walked in like it was my first time ever coming into the Dilaurentis' home, or should I say Rollins'.

"I'm making a cake," she said and sauntered back into the kitchen; looking over her shoulder to see if I was following.

"It smells really good," I shyly offered the compliment and she smirked, pulling the cake out of the oven. "What's the occasion?" I asked innocently.

She took up the icing tools and squirted vanilla icing onto the hot cake. She watched it as it slid down the sides creating a smooth glazed covering. I don't know much about baking, or cooking really, but I knew that you had to allow the cake to cool before applying the icing onto it. She leered comically at my confusion.

"I prefer it like this," innocence returned to her face while inspecting the cake. It slowly crept away following her next sentence, "I don't like when there's a lot of obstacles preventing me from getting to what I really want… which is the sweet, soft… marble cake." Her voice was provocative and I struggled to distract my thoughts from what the 'cake' implied.

She smiled innocuously again and squirted some more icing on the cake. This time it sat on the top in a fluffy cloud. Dipping her nimble forefinger into the perfect loops of the icing, she held it up at eye level and asked, "Wanna taste?" My mouth fell open slightly, my brain malfunctioning with filthy thoughts. She didn't wait for me to even make a motion before popping her sugary finger between her plump lips and made a sucking sound that sent all the delicious feelings to my core. If I were a boy, I would have had the biggest boner.

"U-uhhmm Ali," I said and grinded my teeth together trying to disturb my body from the pounding between my legs.

"hmm?" she looked at me coolly but I know she knew exactly what she was doing.

"You umm… why did you ask me over?" I bravely changed the topic.

"Well I already told you at the hospital," she left the cake unaccompanied and walked a little closer to where I was standing.

"I know but…" I fumbled.

"I told you… I wanted to talk," she let it roll of her tongue so easily that it was painfully obvious what she really wanted to do.

"Where's your husband?" I jabbed and she puffed in frustration and walked into the livingroom, leaving me standing in my own wonder.

"Elliott had to leave on a business trip for maybe a week or so," she said sitting lazily on the couch.

I turned on my heels and sat next to her making sure to leave a little distance between us. I actually wanted to talk things out because I wasn't about to be anyone's sidepiece and if she thought for a second that I would let her remain married to that guy when she clearly belonged with me, then she would have to be out of her mind.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" she asked lightly amused by my look of annoyance.

"Ali… what is this?" I asked a vague question but she ought to have known that it covered a broad spectrum.

"What does it look like Em? You and I just sitting on a couch… talking," she teased purposely edging me into insanity. _Why does this girl like to tempt me so much?_

"Alison… I don't wanna play games right now. I really wanna talk about what happened at the hospital," I finally got it out into the open.

"I thought you loved it when I toyed with you," she smirked but I was becoming very impatient, very fast, and when she noticed, she continued, "I know we need to talk about it. We have whole week to talk about it… but right now," she bit her lip momentarily, "… right now I need you." Her pink lips curled on the 'you' in a sexy, pouty way and I was putty in her hands.

"Ali," I whispered; putting up one last feeble defence and then she shot right passed it and inched closer to me on the chair. She smiled sweetly and intertwined our fingers together. We looked at each other and then began kissing softly at first. It took a while to climb octaves – we wanted it to last as long as time would permit.

She pulled away from my lips and I licked the faint traces of vanilla icing off. "You want this right?" she asked with her big bright eyes stained with desire – it was like looking down the barrel of a gun sometimes. _Bang!_

Even if I didn't want to, who in their right senses refuses Alison, like ever? I nodded immaturely and gawked at her petite body covered away by her little black dress and I couldn't wait to get it off of her.

She allowed me to get side-tracked in staring for little while – hungrily, so much so that my body shuddered lightly. She leaned over, her cheek grazing mine and _oh!_ her intoxicating scent drove me nuts. "Take me upstairs," she whispered and her hot breath tickled the sides of my earlobe making my breath hitch.

She got up and reached out her hand to me and I allowed her to lead me up the stairs. I could not help but have that gut-punching guilty feeling but the view from behind cleared that right up. Her bouncing gold hair rested on her back and her perfume lingered behind her, hypnotizing me more and more with every step. This little succubus.

When we got to her bedroom, she pushed me against the wall. I loved when she dominated me like that. My back crashed into it so hard that a groan escaped my lips. Her eyes quickly caught fire as if she loved hurting me and that devilish smirk confirmed the thought. She ripped my T-shirt straight down the centre and I looked at it come apart over my body so surprised and yet turned on in one.

"Ali I loved that shirt," I protested with the shock still etched across my face. We were both heaving heavily so ready to get each other off as soon as possible.

"I know something you love way more than that shirt," she said breathlessly and smashed her sweet lips into mine.

We groped at each other frantically and heatedly, both moaning tirelessly into the other. She spun me around like a rag-doll and pinned my hands against the wall. Her hands wrapped around me and her hot core resonated against my ass. I wanted her so bad, words weren't created to describe how much I was craving her.

Reaching in front of me, she unbuckled my jeans and slid it all the way down, forcing herself into a stooping position. She shot back up allowing my pants to pool at my ankles. I kicked it off to the side and I spun her around, slamming her into the wall now. We paused breathing severely, her supple breast distracted me briefly as they rose and fall with every breath she took.

"I… I-I'm sorry… Did I hurt you?" I pussied up. As much as I loved being rough, hurting Alison would kill me.

She kissed me and said, "You're such a softie," and then proceeded to push me on the bed. It was like a battle of who would dominate and I could tell that she really wanted to so I played along. She was better at it anyway.

Alison straddled me; her blonde hair tossed to the left of her shoulder when she came down onto my body. We both bounced on the bed and she made no further advances until the bed settled. I looked gingerly into her eyes that were dark and lustful. She unhooked my bra and wasted no time in familiarizing her lips with my firm nipples.

Her tongue ran circles around the fleshy surface of my boob and then came centred with my nipple once more. I arched my back and took a fistful of her beautiful hair; strangling the life out of it in pleasure. She raised her head and grinned at the facial expressions she had me making.

"Don't stop," I murmured as she took her lips away.

"I'm not…" her scorching blue eyes tore into me, coupled with that seducing smile, "Don't you think the other one deserves my attention too?" I nodded and released her.

"Oh my…" I moaned not quite getting to the God.

"Relax baby… I'm gonna take real good care of you," Alison said in that husky, sexy voice.

My body was shaking like a leaf. I shuddered beneath her lips as she drove them between my breasts, which she were apparently finished with for the while. She bit a trail down my stomach, kissing every inch that she bit. I could barely control myself – gripping the sheets until they bled.

"Alison… please," I begged because she was torturing me by laying only soft kisses over the fabric of my underwear. It was agonizing, when all I wanted was to feel her inside of me. I started pulling off my panties and she slapped my hand away.

"Put your hands over your head," she said sternly and continued teasing me. I squirmed relentlessly against her lips; hoping that she'd get bored and just get on with it.

"Ali… pl-" I whined like a spoilt little brat but before I could get the please out she lounged her tongue inside of my underwear and I made a loud gasp not expecting it at all. Her tongue stroked the folds of my heated and soaking core. She made that 'mmmm' sound while she tasted all of me. I grinded against her face uncontrollably.

"Mmm you like that?" she asked but she already knew the answer from my whimpering and loud moaning.

Alison stopped and wiped her mouth savagely and crawled her way back up my body. How can anyone be this amazing in bed? I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to catch a glimpse of the goddess before she got on top of me. She pulled her shirt sensuously over her head and her hair fell wildly along her face. I ogled at her perfect figure making her smile while she unhooked her bra.

"You know when you look at me like that… I feel totally objectified," she pestered.

"I would never…" I grovelled.

"God you're such a pussy," she laughed and slammed her bare body against mine, and she pushed our boobs together, "why is it that you always fall so easily for my games Em?"

 _Is she seriously asking me this right now?_ I was speechless and not to mention out of breath. She slid her hands between us and down the center of my stomach, straight between my legs. She rubbed feverishly against the wet fabric and asked, "Aren't you gonna answer me Em?"

My eyes fluttered closed and my mouth made that 'O' shape because she was literally sending bolts of heat through my body. I couldn't get anything out my mouth other than calling her name in agonizing ecstasy.

"Emily Fields…" her voice had a sing-song tone to it, "am I gonna have to punish you? Do I have to make you talk? ….…Yeah?"

She put her finger on my enlarged clit and circled it faster than she usually does. I bucked into her and covered my face trying to quiet my moaning. Her pace sped up drastically and I screamed at the feeling of fire quickly catching between my legs. My mouth fell open and I cried, "Oh!… Oh!… Oh!" - Each hitting a higher pitch than the last.

"Oh, so you can talk," she taunted going out breath from exerting herself. She went faster and faster and then transferred the pace slipping inside of me. I shot up almost throwing her off of me but she quickly readjusted and plunged in and out of me in quick successions.

I held onto her hand trying desperately to slow her but she was determined to punish me. She was like a human vibrator. I felt my insides coiling and I'm sure she felt me tighten around her fingers. The entire bed shook with the force she entered and left my body – the entire room shook. It felt like heaven, like I would explode with the orgasm that was creeping its way to my surface. I was going to come so hard…

"I'm gonna come!" I yelled in a high pitch.

"Uh, uh," she said and stopped suddenly spinning my tensed body around and spanked the shit out of me.

I wanted to cry honestly. This was the female blue-balls. I groaned out at the stinging slaps and she crashed into me, kissing the back of my neck. _What has gotten into Alison tonight?_ I had never experienced Ali in that way. I loved every minute of this and I couldn't wait to return the punishment.

"How close were you to coming?" she whistled at my ear, grazing it with her teeth.

"Ali," my breath hitched.

She pulled my limp body over and kissed me softly this time lying on my side. "I'm gonna finish you baby."

She was gentle this time and the soreness of my core made the clit feel oh so much better when she stimulated it. I actually cried into her shoulder while she brought me to a blistering orgasm. I couldn't stop saying 'I love you' while I was coming. And she held onto me until my body settled on the bed. I went right to sleep abandoning my plan to get her back. She drained my entire body, not even swimming drills did that to me.

Before I drifted off into sleep, she fell onto my chest and rubbed my stomach contented with her work. I have no idea what she did to me after that. I'd ask in the morning.


	26. Chapter 26 - The Actual Talk

A warm ray of light shot through Alison's window. It wrapped around her naked, beautiful skin and I had never been so jealous of physics before. I rolled over and rubbed her exposed back then kissed it sweetly as not to wake the sleeping beauty. I could only assume that she had been exhausted from her performance last night. I on the other hand, have never slept better. Everyday should be like this – waking up to find Alison sleeping soundly next to me.

I sat up with my back leaning against the head rest of the bed. I appreciated every moment of this and then a sickening thought crossed my mind that this moment may end soon and quite possibly for good. Alison and I neglected to have that talk and a part of me wanted to wake her and force it on her but you all have no idea how majestic she appeared. If I ever make it to heaven that would be the first question I ask God – what was his inspiration for creating something so wonderful so much so that possessing it seems like dumb and temporary luck. But in this tiny moment, she was all mine.

"Hey," I heard her raspy voice say while she brushed her blonde mane from her face. Those blue eyes slightly squinting at me.

"Good morning," I smiled giddily, "did you sleep well?"

"Did you?" she quickly returned bumping one of her eyebrows flirtatiously.

"I did…" I said looking down at my intertwined and nervous hands.

Instantly noticing my mood change, she sat up next to me and asked, "What's wrong Em?"

"Nothing Ali," I tried convincing myself more than I was actually trying to sway her.

There was a little silence and she glared at me; slowly weighing me down just with a look. I purposely avoided her eyes and hoped that she would let it go. As the silence drew on, I realised that she wasn't going to talk unless I told her.

"… It's just that…" I struggled and then faced her maturely; her eyes deeply attentive this time, "I… I really like spending time with you and… I just don't want this to end… ever," I confessed and felt embarrassed that I bore my soul for her like that.

She displayed compassion in her face and reached for my hand. Pulling it to her lips, she kissed it romantically. I waited for her to say something but she just held my hand and looked down the way I just did. My heart starting racing because of the thought that maybe she didn't want this to last forever like I did. Maybe this didn't mean as much to her that it did for me and those feelings from high school rushed back into my head.

"Are you gonna say something?" I pressed lightly – wide-eyed and searching her emotions for a prelude on her thoughts.

"Em… God I just… Everything seems so complicated, you know?" _What the hell is she saying?_

"What do you mean… like we're complicated?" I fervently retorted.

"No… no of course not but… I'm just really confused right now. I don't understand how I feel this way for you and then turn around and marry this guy… God! I barely remember ever being in love with him… I have flashes of memories and the only constant… is you," her brows furrowed and she kept her gaze on our intertwined fingers.

"Do you remember A?" I asked.

"Yes… it was my sister… Mona initially, that little bitch… I remember running away from Rosewood and thinking that I probably deserved all of this. But you guys… I put you in danger and as much as I tried to rescue you…" she ranted.

"Like in the barn and from the fire?" I offered; guiding her memory.

"Yeah," she frowned, "I remember all of it. Going to jail and finding out that CeCe took and tortured you all… it makes me feel like throwing up right now."

"Ali it's not your fault," I squeezed her hand and faced my body toward the blonde.

"From the night of the dance… is where things get a little confusing. I remember traces of things but they don't really add up for me. All of my memories just come back to your face and that infectious smile," she beamed and then the sadness returned, "and then I think of how stupid I was and how much I've hurt you Emily… it kills me… it's hard even being around you because I see that little girl and how you looked whenever I would break you down." She looked away and wiped her eye; feigning a smile later.

I felt for her, I honestly felt awful. To think that all I was, was a reminder of her horrible past and that my presence caused her a lot of pain. I sat speechless and allowed her to get it all out into the open but the more she spoke the further we got from the topic I really wanted to delve into.

"Emily, what if all of these feelings I feel… what if they're not real, what if I'm just clinging to familiarity… I'm so afraid of hurting you again," she said and flashed me those beautiful and gloomy eyes.

I shook my head and motioned my mouth to speak but it took a while for the words to actually come out. "Ali I really have no idea what to say… I am so in love with you, since day one and my feelings never, ever went away… you said that you felt the same, that it was all real for you. I'm not letting you go again… I'll make you remember if I have to but I'm not second guessing us anymore Alison. Because watching you from a distance just isn't enough for me anymore. I know you're afraid and so am I but what scares me most is thinking that I may have a life with you not in it… What do you feel when I'm with you?"

Her eyes flicked in between mine and I could see the tears building behind them. "I feel like it's right… like I'm supposed to be with you but…"

"There isn't a but Alison!" I sharply interrupted.

"What if I put you in danger again? I can't…" she said and tears streamed down her face, "maybe I should just go again…"

"Why is it that you never let us make any decisions for ourselves!?" I got heated and she looked panicky, " _maybe you should go?_ Are you kidding me Ali? This person wants us dead and whether you're here or not… if we don't give them Charlotte's killer…" I put my hand to my head in frustration and with a softer voice I continued, "I'm not going to let you leave again… even if you don't want to be with me there is no way I'm going through that again – not knowing where you, if you're dead or not."

"Alright," she tried pacifying me, "I'm not gonna leave. Emily I know that I love you… I just don't know if we should be together… if I'm right for you. I mean, you deserve so much more than I can give you. You deserve to be helplessly in love and happy…"

"Right now… right now I'm the happiest… when I'm with you I'm the happiest and since the moment I saw you, I fell for you. I've been with so many girls and I have always compared them to you… you're all I have ever wanted Alison. I want to protect you and I want to be the one to marry you… to do everything I can to make sure that you're always giving me that million dollar smile." She started blushing.

"Emily," she said and couldn't stop blushing.

"It's something like that… maybe a little bigger… yeah just like that," I joked.

"I'm so in love with you and the idea of us… but I won't ever be able to forgive myself if I hurt you," she confessed and waited for my response.

"I don't want you to worry about that. I just want us to look forward and quit wasting time… I mean it's long overdue and faintly in the background it feels like we have a fandom just aching for this to happen. Everyone can see that you and I are endgame… let's give them what they want," I laughed and she beamed at me with the happiness that I adore in her eyes.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and I kissed her forehead. The next discussion would have to be what we were going to do about Elliott and Paige. _Wait, does she even remember Paige…. LOL._

"Ali," I whispered thinking that she had fallen asleep again.

"Yeah?" she softly replied and gently twisted our joint hands in a distracted and playful way.

"Are we really doing this?" I asked nervously.

She looked those big blue eyes right at me, "Yes… it's the only thing I want… I really want to be with you Emily Fields… I can't get you out of my mind. You even show up in my memories where you don't belong. I'm done fighting this… we're definitely endgame."

I smiled and then proposed the question, "What are we going to do about your marriage and my relationship?"

"God I feel awful for stringing Elliott along. He has been nothing but a wonderful man to me and my sister. It's barely been a week since we got married."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Why are _you_ sorry," she smiled, "you are the most adorable person I have ever come across Emily Fields."

"I love it when you say my name," I smiled back.

"Where is this heading," she asked and raised off of my shoulder.

My mind flashed with the dirty things I wanted to do but maybe we should try to get some breakfast and have a somewhat innocent day today. If we were going to be together, we had to work on the emotional part of our relationship, not just the physical – we already got a lot of practice in that.

"Well, I was thinking we could go get some breakfast and maybe watch a movie or go somewhere."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Maybe… depends on how breakfast goes first."

"Hmm… okay. I guess I have to make sure that it goes really good then."

"Shit!" I exclaimed throwing her off a bit.

"What is it?"

"I completely forgot to call my mother… she's gonna be sooooo ughh" I said rolling my eyes.

"So what?"

"I'll call her right now and let you see for yourself."

I put the phone on speaker and proceeded with the call. After a few rings, she answered gleefully. Alison looked at me bright-eyed and I shook my head expecting nothing but teasing from my mother.

"Hello Emily," her tone already off.

"Hey mum… I'm sorry I completely forgot to call you. I didn't know I would be spending the night…"

"With Alison right?" I looked at Ali and blushed.

"Yes mum I stayed over by Alison."

"My daughter, the lady-killer… I assume you girls had a fun night. I won't be home _all day_ today," she awkwardly stressed the 'all' and Alison laughed, "so you guys can maybe come over together and throw an eye on the place for me."

"That's why there're locks on the house mum," I rolled my eyes and smiled at Alison who could not stop laughing at my mother trying to hook us up.

"Have a wonderful day sweetheart… love you… and give Alison a big kiss for me," mum giggled and hung up.

"Your mother is something else," Ali laughed.

"She's a trip," I responded and pulled Alison off the bed.

We headed to the kitchen and she started making us breakfast while I observed enthusiastically. I could definitely get use to this.


	27. Chapter 27 - Take Me Out

"So tell me… how was breakfast then?" she leered towards me as she cleared the mess we both made on the counter.

"Hmmm… it was ok, I guess," I looked down with a frumpy expression and then childishly peeked up to see the confused look on her face.

"Ok? I made you my special devil eggs… I make that for no one… you should consider that to have been the Holy Grail of breakfasts," she raised her brows and her voice – a tiny bit upset that I didn't seem to enjoy what she made.

"I'm kidding," I laughed and walked over to my sexy blonde, "it was amazing… you know I love your cooking."

I wrapped my arms around her; pulling her into me for a kiss. She smiled and squinted her eyes as if she thought that I was up to something. I mocked her by also squinting mine but couldn't hold back my laughter.

"What's that look for?" I giggled and admired how particularly beautiful she looked this close up.

"Nothing… so since you _clearly_ enjoyed breakfast, does that mean we can have our date now?" she said and I could see the look of guiltless excitement etched across her face.

She is absolutely, breathtakingly stunning – especially when she got enthusiastic about something. It was a part of her that I revered most of all – the slice of Alison Dilaurentis that made me fall madly in love with her. Even when we were younger and she would discover that there was a sale on some stupid pair of designer jeans, that look she would get as she expressed to the girls how much she needed those jeans would capture me whole-heartedly.

I couldn't decide where I should take her. I definitely knew that it had to be special and romantic – _she loves romantic_. It wasn't our first date or anything but it felt like a new chapter between us and this I knew had to be celebrated fittingly. Besides, it's not often that one gets to take the unattainable Alison Dilaurentis on a date.

We weren't exactly in a socially acceptable situation being that we were both in _committed_ relationships, therefore, I was aware that this had to be outside of Rosewood. _God I feel like we're Ezra and Aria back in high school and having to sneak out of town just for a kiss._ I would admit though that sneaking around was kind of racy… sneaking around with Alison; well that was hot.

"So Ms. Fields, where are you taking me today?" she smiled and asked; pulling away from our embrace and resumed tidying the kitchen.

"That's a surprise," I responded and assisted.

"Hmmm… ok but if you take me somewhere and I'm not dressed appropriately, I'm gonna hurt you," she smirked and didn't look at me when she said it but focused her attention on what she was doing.

"Oh please," I stared at her, "you always look good."

She snickered and crinkled her nose in the cutest way humanly possible. I dropped the dishes in the sink and stole another kiss from her. With two dirty glasses in her hands, she gasped at my sudden advances and then melted with the kiss. The glasses made a clinking sound as she locked her arms behind my neck. That kiss lasted longer than it should have and if it were up to me, I'd take her right back upstairs and remind her of just how much I was into her.

"Mmm… what was that for?" she asked with her eyes still shut from the kiss.

"For being really cute… and because I love you," I looked affectionately at her when I said it.

I released an exaggerated sigh when I realised that I had to disentangle myself from her. She smiled sweetly knowing exactly what I was thinking and walked me to the door – more like dragged me to the door. I stood in the frame and she reared gripping the doorknob behind her back; gently leaning on it. I marvelled at the magnificence before me and bit my lip wanting desperately to hold her in my arms. She started blushing when the tension quickly built between us. Neither spoke a word; neither wanting to say goodbye, even if it was only for a little while. I looked at her, flirting with my eyes and played the biggest smile on my lips.

"Are you gonna leave?" she laughed when it seemed like we would stand like that for the rest of the day.

"Maybe," I answered aloofly and reached for her hand, toying with her fingers.

"Em… I have to go get ready for a date… with a tall, sexy brunette," she teased.

"Oh yeah. I hope she takes you somewhere expensive. You deserve nothing but the best and if she gives you anything less than that, then she's a fool," I replied watching her smile get bigger, "I have a date too… I'm gonna have amazing sex with her after."

She slapped my arm and pushed me out the door. I laughed loudly and stole the final kiss before I took off. She stood in the doorway and watched me as I walked down the porch steps.

"That ass though!" she philandered at me like a horny teen.

I slapped spanked myself and struck a pose for her. I could hear that contagious laughter as I made my way down the street. I looked back at her continuously, until she went inside. I was so thrilled that things were going so well. I couldn't wait to take my beautiful girl out somewhere special.

A couple of hours passed and I figured that Alison should be ready by then. I wore my black leather jacket, a long romper beneath finished with matching flats. I must say that I looked pretty hot but everyone knows that the real main attraction was my babe. I could have only imagined how delicious she would look for this date. _I hope she wears a skirt_.

I pulled up to her house and beeped the horn three times. A couple of lights were turned off in the house and then the front door opened. I hopped out the car only to be dazed by how incredible she looked. My mouth fell open and I circled the car to the passenger side with my eyes focused on her walking towards me… _Me._ She wore a tight red dress that hugged her body making her pour out in all the right places. It cut off a great bit of inches above her knee exposing miles of smooth, ivory legs with a kiss of sun in the complexion.

"Oh my God," was all that could escape my parted lips.

She cocked her head to the side a little embarrassed by my gawking at her body. She flat ironed her hair so it was dead straight and easily lifted by the wind. _Am I dating a supermodel?_

"Hey," she quietly said and kissed me on the cheek.

"You look so f*cking good," I retorted; eyes wide as saucers.

I opened the door for my princess and then ambled around to the driver's side and hopped in. When I sat down, I had to take another moment to look at her. She blushed and tugged on the bottom of the dress which had now ridden up a little. I stopped her hand and rested my palm on her uncovered thighs. She hummed when I did and placed her hands on mine and then we were off.

Faint music filled the car as we drove in relative silence. She looked out the window at the bustling Rosewood residents going about their day. We passed the Rosewood sign and she looked back at it and then at me like she never wanted to go back.

"You ok babe?" I asked keeping my eyes on the road but noticing the shift in her mood.

"Yeah, I'm great," she communicated and squeezed my hand.

"Excited?" I perused her thoughts.

"Of course I am. I can't wait to see where you're taking me," she responded.

"I really hope you like it. I mean it's no Paris but it comes really close," I looked over at her to read her expression.

I pulled up to the place about an hour later. I could tell that she had never been there before by the wonder in her blue orbs. She squinted to read the name and made her way out of the car. I walked around to her side and placed my hand at the small of her back. We walked up to the door which were large, wooden and looked like a door to a castle. It bore two hefty knockers and I banged one of them twice. Alison looked at me fascinated with the unfamiliarity of the type of place it was.

The doors opened slowly revealing a dark room filled with luminescent light. The light came from a ceiling aquarium that stretched across the entire hallway.

She held onto my hand not knowing what to expect and I could only smile knowing that I had her bemused yet fascinated. We walked down passing a couple on the way. They stood against the wall sharing a delightful kiss.

"You know what this reminds me off?" she said with her brow raised at me as if I had been mischievous in some way.

"It's nothing like that," I replied knowing that she was thinking of the strip club she took me to on her birthday.

When we entered the main room her eyes lit up brightly. I stopped and let her absorb it all and smiled aimlessly at how cute she was being – totally astonished.

"Oh wow," she beamed looking around at the spectacular designs of the room. The aquarium ran its way along the walls and was filled with the world's most exotic fishes. The ceiling of this room was blocked by a canopy of oversized tropical leaves that initiated at a big, centred tree. Around it and throughout the room, people sat having dinner and admiring the beauty of the place. There was a man-made waterfall to the corner of the grandfather tree that streamed into a little pond inhabited by baby turtles. A few kids ogled at the animals and 'oooed' and 'ahhed'. "This is… Em, where did you find this place… This has to be the most divine décor I have ever seen. It's amazing," she flattered me as if I had anything to do with the furnishings.

"This way ladies," said a young host in a button up suit. He couldn't help himself but flash looks of attraction to Alison. _Who could blame the guy? Her splendour gives this place a run for its money._

He was about to pull out her seat when I stopped him and took over. I pecked her on the lips out of jealousy and she giggled taking her seat.

"The waiter will be here shortly with your menus, ladies," he rattled off professionally but we could tell that he was thrown by the kiss.

"You're bad Emily," she smirked at me, placing her elbow on the table and cocked her head to the side resting it on that hand. Her hair fell attractively and I stared into her big, blushing, blue eyes.

"What," I laughed insensitively, "can't I kiss my girl in public?"

"You know that that was out of jealousy," she leered playfully at me and I looked down flushed with a guilty smile on my face.

We conversed lightly about what we might order when we got the menu. She went on about how she wouldn't mind stealing some of the interior ideas from the restaurant for her future house and what colour scheme she would use instead. I zoned out every now and again just to soak up how blessed I was to call her my own. She could do whatever she wants with the interior and the paint so long as we're both in the same house, I'll be happy.

"Good evening ladies," a slender blonde came up to us with the menus. She was a pretty girl and filled out her waitress uniform well – not that I particularly noticed, or anything. Alison surely thought so. The woman stood between us, at the edge of our table. "You both look stunning," she complimented us but kept her focus on me. Alison leaned her head to look around the girl's body and shot me a 'Are you seeing this?' look. She then watched up at the dallying waitress with disgust and I knew that this could not end well.

"Excuse me," she gestured her hands in a questioning way, "do you plan on taking our orders anytime soon… or are you just gonna stand there and gape at my girlfriend?" I saw that look in her eyes and it reminded me so much of teenage Ali whenever she was ripping some random loser a new one. It was pretty sexy when she would get jealous.

I reached across the table and took her hand trying to calm her down but mostly to encourage the waitress to back away before Alison showed just how possessive she could get. Ali seared into the poor girl with those 'You have no idea what tree you're barking up bitch' look in her eyes and as much as I wanted to laugh, I rushed my order attempting to get this over with and return to serenading my gorgeous girl.

"Babe, can I order for you?" I asked and she nodded confused by my motivation.

I whispered my order to the waitress awarded with a roll of Alison's eyes and folded arms. She glared at me after the waitress left as if I heartened the enter show by leading on the girl on in some way. I awkwardly cleared my throat and combed the drinks menu.

"Can you believe that trifling, little…" she started growling.

"Alisonnnnn," I interrupted almost wheezing because I was laughing so hard, "are you really that jealous of some waitress that has completely nothing over you?"

She smiled and closed her eyes as if to shake the stupid thought from her mind. We went back to our light conversation. Talking about our future and the girls; wondering how they would react to our relationship. When the wine came, we downed quite a few glasses and night quickly came filled with us laughing and honestly relishing in each other's company.

I ordered us both French cuisine dishes that the chef specialized in making. She idolized the Pasta alla Carbonara and I loved the way she tried pronouncing it – how her tongue would roll between her lips, drove me nuts sitting so far away from her. I watched her in her elation as she gibbered on about something while cradling her chin at the edge of her palm and twirling her fork into the dish with her other. One day for sure I know she'll catch me when I zone out like this while she speaks but can she fault me? I mean she is very distracting and I often find myself lost in her beauty.

"Em?" she snapped me back to reality and my body slightly jumped up, "are you listening?" She laughed when I thought she would be upset. _God I love her so much_.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" I seduced with my player tone. It always gets them.

"Don't you wanna finish eating?" she questioned gingerly and raised a brow.

"Exactly what I wanna do," I bit my lip and looked at her up and down then she quickly understood what I was talking about. She went red and looked fondly at me but continued picking at her plate.

I got an idea and I stood up drawing her attention and a couple of others in the room. I folded my napkin and placed it beside my plate. I bent down and whispered into her ear that I was going to use the bathroom really quick and she nodded politely. I walked away and headed in the area of the ladies. I must have stood leaning against the sink counter for maybe fifteen minutes hoping that she'd get worried and come look for me.

After another five minutes she came in flustered and searching the room until her eyes fell on the first brunette. "Is everything ok?" she bore a look of worry and approached me casually. I took one step towards her and by then she had reached me – our bodies touching. She squinted her eyes trying to read the situation and why my demeanour seemed less innocent than it should have.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly so much so that it sounded like a sexy whisper.

I grabbed her and pulled her into one of the stalls and she was in so much shock as to what was happening that she gasped being startled by my abruptness. I had her back jammed towards the wall of the bathroom cubicle and her clueless blues sought an explanation but mine were feverish and I wanted her.

"Em…" she tossed her head back while I kissed her neck ravenously. I was intent on leaving a mark on her beautiful skin. Seeing the previous stains of my love making already there turned me on even further.

"Mmm I can't wait anymore," I spoke indistinctly smashing kisses on her neck, chest, and the top of her sinuous breasts as they seemed to be spilling out of that dress – and I wanted her out of that dress, so bad.

"Baby, the food…" she moaned becoming quickly swayed by how good I was making her feel.

"I don't care about the food," I interrupted and in that moment I could barely contain myself – feeling like my entire body was in flames. I turned her around and zipped down the dress that ran from her neck to the perfect curve of her ass. I kissed her back wildly and let my hands blindly cruise her front searching for her breasts. She moaned as quietly as she could but I wanted the entire bathroom filled with her screams. I felt as if I was going out of my mind.

She turned around and jumped onto to me; her legs wrapped around my waist and her hands in my hair. I sucked hard at her lips rendering them bruised in the most heated kiss and while doing that I pinned her to the wall again and slipped my hand beneath her dress. She groaned in frustration because she really wanted to be screaming my name. She was dripping wet and my nimble fingers didn't take long to find her sweetest spot. Her mouth fell open in pleasure and her head was thrown back against the wall. She pulled her breast out of her bra and urged me to make better use of my lips.

"Oh God!" she got louder and the sounds of us banging into the cubicle partitions quickly echoed across the room. Her legs quivered against my hips and I knew that she was close to coming for me so I sped up and she gripped my hair forcing me closer into her bosom. I made that 'Mmmm' sound partially suffocating but I can't think of a better way to die than this. Lol.

"You're so hot Ali," I breathe and took a break from her nipple only to be forced right back.

"I'm coming!" she squealed and came apart all over me heaving from the rush of blood through her body. I could barely breathe myself; holding her now limp physique in my arms. I kissed her passionately but she could not partake much in it being weakened completely by that shattering orgasm.

I let her down gently, still leaning her against the wall for support and pinning her with my body in the front. I peppered her with ingenuous kisses trying to revive her before we walked out. She had the sex hair and everything while I had the largest grin tattooed on my face. I paid the bill and we headed to the car aloofly. She didn't speak for the whole ride home, in fact, she went right to sleep as her head hit the headrest or the car seat.


	28. Chapter 28 - What Happens In The Dark

When we got back to Alison's house, I pulled beside the front garden and parked the car. I took a little while to observe just how incredibly alluring this woman was. I swear I could just look at her all day and night and would have, in that moment, just sat for hours looking at her – all of her features inch by inch – but that would be creepy.

"Ali? Baby… wake up," I whispered as I stretched over and kissed her forehead which had been resting against the seat. I watched as her eyelids danced into awareness and fluttered slowly revealing dark and sleepy blue eyes.

"Are we home yet?" she asked innocently and her voice was more of a whisper. This has to be some sort of dream. That little sentence made me see a future so clear and so realistic; close enough that I could live it. _'We', 'home'_ , those words combined with my exhausted little blonde that I was so happy to please; this was the future I wanted - any kind of life where she and I were a 'we'.

"Yeah," I whispered back enchanted by my own contentment in this tiny moment.

She smiled at me and sat up riffling through the car for her things. Her hair was a mess and yet still so perfect. The dress had ridden up much higher than before due to its acquired tear at the end. I got out and walked around to her side and opened the door. She hopped out and fished for the keys in her bag.

Her legs moved reluctantly and quite lazily up the few steps to the house-door and she fiddled the key into the hole, gave it a rough turn and pushed in the door as if it held her weight the entire time and it suddenly being open, promised her fall.

"Ali," I giggled and she hung the key on the hook and took my hand leading me straight to the bedroom. She didn't bother turning on any of the lights downstairs so we stumbled our way to her room which was also obscure.

I let go of her hand to turn the lights out but was greeted with a stern but quiet, "Don't!"

Shyly I pulled away my arm and stood behind the figurine of her curvaceous body, tempted to let my hands peruse the shapes. I was confused and remained in my position while sounds of her clothes hitting the floor filled the room.

"What are you doing?" I asked still unable to see the pretty blonde.

"Take your clothes off," she demanded in the calmest tone.

I, of course, complied being helpless to every, and all requests from Alison and proceeded to remove my jacket. When I got to my romper, she approached me; placing her warm delicate hands over mine and sensually gliding the garment down over my shoulder – to which she placed one lonely kiss. I shuddered under the feel of her lips. She snickered, proud of her effect on me.

She pushed my hands away afterward and then slid the romper over my breasts exposing the soft flesh and it yearned for her as if it knew what she would do next. As predicted, she plastered gentle kisses over the area and took my clothes lower and lower until she was in a kneeling position in front of me. I could barely see her or what she was doing; _mmm_ I could only imagine the dirty looks she was giving me. Those erotic sapphire eyes just burning holes through mine.

I was completely and irrevocably under her control. My head was tossed back and the darkness heighten the other senses so that I felt every single thing that she did. The romper came completely off and my shoes were flung over by the dresser. I felt her tiny fingers curl around the lining of my G-string and tugged it all the way down in one swift and uncaring move. I shot a moan involuntarily surprising myself. I mean she hadn't even started to do anything and I was already whimpering.

I was exposed and I felt her breath against my now erupting centre. Her hair tickled my legs and that only meant that she was closing in on me. I waiting desperately, mouth opened anticipating the power of her tongue. The first contact she made with me I literally jumped and she giggled making me feel quite embarrassed. When she removed her lips I cursed myself because I would have to endure the build up again to feeling her. But instead she quickly and forcefully swallowed me. The moan that escaped my lips was laced with the pleasure I was experiencing. She ate it, covering every inch of my burning core.

My legs grew weak almost instantaneously and began buckling above her. She felt me caving and slung my right leg over her shoulder then ran her hand up my leg and rested it on my ass, gently squeezing it every time she took more of me in. Her wayward tongue swirled inside of me and I bucked every second; grinding hard against her persistent lips. I screamed out breathlessly in such excruciating ecstasy that I was almost confident that all of Rosewood probably thought Alison was murdering me.

She removed her lips and hissed at me like a sexy snake. I released a groan in somewhat relief that I was given a break to catch my breath and collect pieces of myself because it felt like I was exploding all over the place. "You taste so good," she directed to me and I could hear her sultriness but fantasized the look that must have been on her beautiful face.

"Please… please don't stop," I begged and pushed her head back against me, gripping her blonde locks.

I felt her smirk touching my dripping axis and arched my back to its limit bearing through another segment of Alison's full lips and hot tongue manipulating my body. Her teeth found their way sashaying along the folds of my quivering pussy and she had never done that before so I had to bite my lips as not to burst into flames. _God she was so good_. Quite possibly better than I was and she wasn't even a lesbian.

My mouth went dry from all the moaning and screaming but hers was full of me, wet and satiated. She kept going and going like she wanted to get every last drop out of me and it sure felt that way. The way she sucked on my clit sent shivers straight through my body. She was going to make me orgasm without laying a finger on me.

"Ali!" I screamed over and over and over and she just hummed against me enjoying every minute of her dominance of my will and strength. She gripped my ass and found a way to press herself deeper into me. And my screams went from breathless indications of vast pleasure to distressed bellows of me dwindling quickly around Alison's advances.

"You're gonna make me come! You're gonna make me come! You're gonna make me come!" I yelled in swift successions whilst my body trembled over her. Her tongue became a sword that completely conquered me and I ruptured instantaneously. My entire body tensed and my stomach cramped in a lancing sensation. The orgasm was deep, deeper than usual and it was extensive as if it would never end.

My legs gave way and started sinking in weakness but my beautiful blonde swooped up cradling me and cushioning the fall. I fell onto her, panting uncontrollably and she laughed, satisfied with how amazing she was. I rested my head on her chest and her back jammed against the bed-leg for support.

"Now I wish I really put on the lights," she spoke kissing my cheek, "I wanna see how insanely beautiful you look right now."

"I…" I struggled to talk and catch my breath, "Alison…"

"Shhh. You don't have to talk," she whispered and stroked my hair; tugging away the damp strands that were stuck to my face in sweat. We were both sweaty and tired but would do it again and again if the other really wanted. "Do you wanna go again? I never even got to get my hands dirty yet," she flirted.

"I physically can't," I admitted contrary to my thoughts above; totally beat by that orgasm, "can we just cuddle… please?"

"Whatever you want honey," she agreed and got up then pulled me up into bed. Her little tiny frame struggled to get me up and I had to smile.

"I love you," I said and closed my eyes momentarily and when I re-opened them, it was morning.


	29. Chapter 29 - Burning Paiges

Was it just me, or was every morning that I woke, with that bubbly blonde nestled sweetly into my side, just a bit brighter than it should be? I never have the heart to wake her when she lay like that – innocent, vulnerably naked. I raked my mind to answer the question of whether and when will that day come where she doesn't completely overwhelm me with her beauty. I really am not a shallow individual but her splendour is just unusually entrancing that if I didn't make note of it, it would enflame my mind – poking holes and corrupting anything that wasn't Alison.

I was pinched from my typical admiration by the incessant vibrating of my phone on the bedside table. I groaned - hesitant to take my eyes away from my gorgeous girl. My hand hurdled towards the cell and upon retrieval, the caller ID read 'Paige'. And suddenly there was no more air in the room. It was now filled with a thick coat of guilty musk with its hands firmly clenched at my throat. I flashed beady eyes at Alison and then back at the phone. By that time, it had rang five loops of infuriating buzzes and on the sixed I answered – tentatively.

"H-hey… Paige," I tried disregarding laws of physics making my voice brash enough to seem normal yet soft enough as not to wake my paramour. As Paige greeted me, Alison turned still asleep but nuzzling further into her pillow. I slid out from the bed and slithered my way into the hallway. How can it feel like I'm cheating on them both with each other?

"So, how is everything?" she asked and immediately I knew that she had somehow heard about Alison's accident. Could I even tell her how I fractured, thinking she was dead and ended up booking a few days hospitalized myself?

"Things are… things are fine," through my teeth I lied and with fingers crossed I hoped that she wasn't perceptive enough to ever notice.

"Are they?" she retorted smugly.

"Y-yeah… why would you-"I started asking when she interrupted me.

"Why don't you come downstairs and finish that sentence?" she stated then hung up the phone.

My stomach probably qualified for the Olympics with the kinds of flips it did. I poked my head into Alison's room to confirm that she was still asleep. God knows that I would quickly liquefy if Paige confronted Alison; God the colossal obliteration that would lead to. Trotting down the wooden stairs, I could hear my heart thudding in my ears. Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom! It tripled the pace as I approached the door. When I got to it, I could see her distorted figure through the glassy parts of the door. She paced back and forth and her mumblings were barely audible but just enough to indicate her aggravation.

"Paige!" I answered the door in a staggered tone as if a blessed part of me was praying that she would disappear when I flung the door open.

Her eyes widened at the sight of me. She leered in the house like she was expecting to catch a sight of Alison half naked with marks of amazing sex plastered all over her alabaster skin. I walked outside and forced her back a couple steps.

"W-what are you doing here?" I stammered and I can only imagine the 'deer caught in headlights' look I probably wore.

"I should ask you," she responded obviously pissed and when I folded my arms in retreat, she continued, "I… wanted to surprise you. I went over to the hotel and the girls told me that you had been in the _hospital_ and that they dropped you off at your mum's."

"I was meaning to call you about that –" interrupted again.

"Oh I'm sure you were. Right after you were finished doing whatever it was that you were doing in there for the past few days," she spat at me.

"Paige, I-" I forced out.

"Shut up. Don't you dear lie to my face," she spewed and her eyes were black as heated coals and they seared against mine in the most debilitating way. I looked to my feet; ashamed at what I had done to someone that cared so much about me. "I don't want to know what you did… I just want to know how you could do it," her voice cracked clearly enough to cause her to pause, "how could you do it?" She was now placid and shattered.

I stood speechless; unwilling to contradict any of her statements. _Should I lie?_ _Should I make it easier for her? Would that make it easier for her?_

"You're not even gonna say anything?" she asked with a strained voice – my indiscretion crushing her voice-box. My eyes had been glued to the floor in disgrace and my jaw tightened; trying hard not to breakdown.

"Paige…" she didn't interject this time, "Paige, Alison had an accident… a-and I-I went to the hospital to… to see her… And she… she almost died…"

"And what, Emily… You made her feel better with your body!" she screamed at me, "God!" She brought her voice into an insufferably angry tone and with gritted teeth she continued to hammer me, "I was there for you… _I was_ … Where was she…huh." She grabbed my arm into a pinch and I winced at her rigid grip.

"Ah Paige you're hurting me," I pleaded quietly.

"I'm always there… whenever _she_ f*cks up… I put your sorry ass back together. _Me!_ " her grip tightened and I watched as my skin pleated between her trembling fingers. I had never seen her this angry, this deranged. Under different circumstances, I would have fought back but I felt like I deserved it – every second of the blood curdling pain. "And you cheat on _me_ with _her_! She has never loved you Emily. All she wants is to keep you around like some sick little pup – totally devoted to her. She'd have you believing you could walk on water. And when you realise that you can't… when you start to sink again! Do you think she'll pull you out? She will never love you! Not like I did… God! She's married Emily… You know what – "

Paige's tactless rant was interrupted by a loud and shrewd scream coming from inside the house. We both jumped at the noise. It sounded like Ali was in trouble and you all know what happens to me when she needs me. I snatched my arm away from Paige and turned to race towards my blonde when she uttered, "You're gonna regret this," and she scurried down the steps awkwardly, never looking back.

Her taciturn demeanour was evident enough to stop me in my tracks. With one more shriek from Alison, I was brought back to the crippling reality that she was in danger. I have never climbed stairs that quickly before in my entire life – crossing 4, 5 stairs at a time.

"Ali! Ali!" I yelled trying to locate her. When I entered the room she was crouched beside the bed. Her eyes wore so much fear it was like if she had seen…

"It was ghost! I don't know. He couldn't have been real. I felt it, I felt him – his hands touched me I- I- I know it… I don't understand," she exclaimed, glassy eyes wide in shock as she rocked back and forth; cradling her legs into her chest.

"Alison, Alison what happened?" my voice was softer now but I was equally scared, "Who did you see? Who touched you?" I scanned the room promptly to fish out who she could possibly be talking about. She looked up at me, completely terrified at what she had seen; her eyes were begging me to understand her fear.

"It was… It was Wilden," she looked me dead in my sights and I had to cringe because of course Wilden had been dead for years and, well, we were the only ones in the house.

"Alison, baby, there isn't anyone in here. It's just you and me okay," I knelt beside my petrified sovereign and scooped her near quivering body into my chest. I stroked her and rocked with her until she fell asleep. She cried so much, for hours, that the tears left a watermark on her flushed cheeks. I absolutely and unequivocally hate when she is in pain.

No matter how much I loved Alison, I had to acknowledge that this wasn't normal. It's true that Rosewood was a town where people refused to stay dead but the entire town saw him buried – six feet to the devil. _Maybe it was a bad dream_. That day was already shaping up to be a horrible one. Dealing with Paige and now having to take care of Alison was putting such a strain on me. I could feel the stress coursing through my blood and pooling at my neck – ready to strangle whatever strength I had reserved.

After I put Alison to bed, I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. I thought that maybe I could surprise her with a dish that didn't induce gagging. She had a few cooking books on the counter and in it I saw one of her mother's recipes stuck in between pages 21 and 22. It was a recipe for Baked Potato Mounds and Stewed Chicken Caribbean style. It seemed simple enough.

While the potatoes boiled on the stove, I plunged into the sofa with a geriatric sigh. I reluctantly lifted my pelvis to retrieve my phone from my back-pocket to maybe call Paige and schedule a meeting. I'd be fooling myself to think that we could have just left that conversation how it ended and simply move on. Fact is, I actual cared for and loved Paige – not as much as Alison but the love was there – and I would never want to end our relationship on that note. Her words rolled around in my head and it made me sick to my stomach and even on occasions drudged up a sliver of doubt in Alison and me.

The dial tone went off maybe eight times before I decided to hang up. What can I say, I tried to reach out to her but if she intended to live in her anger then talking to her right now wasn't going to solve anything. I guess I'll give her time. I could not find fault in her because I switch the game up, I was the one that turned us over. She had every single reason to react the way she did. I was the mongrel – Alison's filthy, little pup. I clenched my jaw as the thought occurred.

I shot up from the couch realising that a bit of time had passed since I check on the potatoes. They were ready by then and I followed the instructions carefully. I couple hours had passed and I was shocked at how amazing it turned out. I don't recall a time where I had ever made edible food of this capacity, maybe some soggy eggs or burnt sausage but this actually came out well. Tricks from my mother-in-law – I cherished the thought of being a part of Alison's family.

'Ring!' 'Ring!' went the phone but it stopped just before I could get to it. I heard murmurings coming from Ali's room so I picked it up; ignoring the line of privacy I tripped over. There was silence for about three seconds followed by my blonde screaming, "Who is this?! Why are you doing this to me?!"

"Ali?" I asked confused at her harsh tone.

The dumbfounded look was wiped off my face with the crash of class upstairs. I dropped the phone allowing it to swing idly off the hook. I rushed up the stairs and upon reaching the room, I saw the French jewellery box that I gave her for her birthday lying side-ways on the floor. The mirror was broken and pieces of glass lay scattered on the floor.

Alison stood hypnotized by the damaged ornament and when her eyes flashed at me she burst into tears. I grabbed her into the tightest hug without allowing her to even explain what happened. She held onto me for dear life and sobbed uncontrollably into my shoulder. I leaned my chin into her head and closed my eyes wondering what the hell was going on.

"Emily…" she pulled away, "I don't know what's happening?"

I cupped her face and whispered, "What did you see?"

"I just… I saw my mum," she looked me dead in the eyes, "except it wasn't my mum, she was… she was dead…a-and her face… I… I" she tried to explain with the terror weighing heavily on her raspy voice.

"Oh Ali, I'm so sorry," I offered and pulled her back into my embrace, "are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"No! It felt so real. I mean, I was standing, holding the gift you gave me… oh God! The gift… I broke it," she fell apart.

"No, no, no, no… Don't worry about the gift. I know it was an accident, sweetie," I continued consoling her.

I walked her to the living room just so that I could keep her in my sights. It seemed like every time I left her alone, something went wrong. More and more this was beginning to deeply trouble me and I could not afford any more incidents happening – what if she hurt herself?

I sat her down and fixed her a plate of food. She just stared blankly at it as if it wasn't even in front of her. I observed her as I sat to eat next to her. She had this dazed look in her eyes like her mind had been snatched and replaced by a wet blanket.

"Ali?" I got tired and called her attention.

"Huh?" she answered warily, still staring ahead, barely acknowledging me.

"Alison?" I called again and she turned this time.

"Hmm sorry," she wiped her eyes and fixed a smile, "this looks amazing Em."

"Ali, are you-" I was interrupted by the phone ringing again.

"Don't get that!" she flew up with fright in her expression. It was only then I had noticed how dark the house had gotten. All the lights were off except the kitchen but it painted a dim, stale look into the living room. I had no room for fear then because I had to hold Alison together – she was being completely delusional!

"Ali, relax… it's probably one of the girls checking in on us."

I picked up the phone hesitantly; blatantly contradicting the calm mood I was trying to inspire in the blonde. I held it to my ear and I felt my heart kick up a pace. My mouth opened at the silence to fill it with a shaky 'hello' but was cut short by a chilling recording of an 'abc' song sung by toddlers. I listened longer than I should of – long enough for the alphabet to run through and back up to A… but then it stuck on A. I almost dropped to my knee when it repeated 'A, A, A, A, A, A, A-"

"Who is this?!" I screamed, my nerves rattled to the molecular level. I don't even know why I asked. When I turned around, Alison was gone. I no longer had a heart but an enormous African drum being slaughtered by drummers. "Ali!" I yelled and spun in circle scanning the room, I bolted for the kitchen, then upstairs, she was gone. When I got down to the living room, her phone was buzzing. It was video call from her husband.

"Emily?" he questioned as to why I was picking up Alison's cell phone, "where's Alison?"

"I uhmm… I'm not sure," I replied ashamed, "I have to go. I'm gonna go find her. I'll have her call you."

"S-she's not with you? She called me and told me that she's seeing things?" he rambled in concern.

"Look Elliott, I have to go find her," I said before I hung up.

I scoured the town searching everywhere for Alison. My hair stuck to my face as I sweated and ran and ran and ran. I was an inch away from tears. The rain started to drizzle by the time I got to the Rosewood Hotel. I called the girls and when they saw my condition, they immediately became alarmed.

I did my best to calmly explain the situation and we split up to go find her. I got to the church, by that time I was soaked from head to toe and the rain had begun pouring down over the little town. This _Damn!_ town. I thought to myself that maybe she would have gone in, as scared as she was, I guessed that only God could have made her feel safe.

The church was like any other church – lit by candles, quiet, with only the sounds of aging wood and a dead air filling it. I could immediately hear her shivering in the corner of the Alter; repeating a tiny prayer.

"Ali!" I stooped down in front of her shaking frame. She lifted her head from the solace of her hands with a startled response. "Ali, I was so scared. How could you just leave the house like that? You're soaking wet."

"They're coming for me. They want to take me with them," she rambled with her pearly blue eyes in tears.

"Who Ali?" I asked ignorantly.

"Maybe I deserve it… M-maybe this is my punishment," her voice croaked and her body shook clearly illustrating her defeat.

"No Ali, you don't deserve any of this. It's not real, none of it is… You had me worried sick. You can't do that. And you called Elliott?"

She hung her head down before raising it again to say, "I- I didn't know what else to do… Emily… I need help."

I held her and ran my fingers through her damp hair. I plastered kiss on her forehead and tried to think of anything I could do to make her better – to take this pain away. The rain came down harder now and we were trapped in the church. She trembled in my arms whimpering and I continued comforting her. I exhaled deeply wondering what could be causing this. _Gosh I love her so much, this is killing._

I heard my own heart cracking inside my chest as I watched her fall apart before my eyes. I had never seen Alison like that before. Whatever she saw or heard had to have been worse than anything either of us had ever seen because this was a new kind of fear. I took her the mental hospital and had her admitted as per her request. I pleaded with her that she should wait to talk to everyone – her family, the girls, her… husband – about this before she just made a rash decision.

Nonetheless, there was no deterring a Dilaurentis when they'd made up their mind about something. She left me with a hidden kiss before I watched the nurse take her away. I don't know why but in that moment, it felt like I was going to lose her or that she would never be the same when or _if_ she got out of there. What now.


	30. Chapter 30 - Locker Room

_**Hey everyone… I'm sorry for the sporadic updates but I usually write when I'm in a certain mood or with the prompts of the readers. I want to thank all of you for your amazing reviews, follows, favourites, and private messages…. Also would like to wish Katzzz a Happy Belated Birthday… I hope all of you enjoy this one 3 3 3**_

…

Walking out of that hospital, I felt a stiffening coldness work its way across my chest. I couldn't get the look in her eyes out of my head – that look of complete defeat, of distress, and desperation. I had only ever once seen that look on Alison and that was the night she made arrangements to meet up with me at the old factory a few years ago. Beneath the dance of elation and regret that she related to me, I could see deep down that she had been broken – pieces of her were replaced with a thick, black poisoning kind of fear.

Fear. That word could some up my entire life, although, it befitted significantly to the last five years of my teenage years. I had always been a panicky individual but Rosewood industrialized that part of me into something almost catatonic. I could never remember when or how A caused me to change. I did a complete 180 and became someone strong and fearless. I suppose having death promised to you on a daily basis eliminates the stimulus response after a while or maybe accepting finally that the resilient one of the five was gone forever. Someone had to fill the position and I guess in a way we all kind of assumed the duty.

Despite her not being dead, Alison never really returned to Rosewood. What came back was a hollow shell of someone whose name could ever only appear in a sentence with the word 'afraid' if 'of' stood between them. Nobody was afraid of Alison Dilaurentis. She was no longer that whirlwind of confidence and command that could dwindle any and every one to their rightful size or the one she deemed fit. Her fire was gone; leaving only miserable little sparks that gave just enough light to grovel through a dark room.

I was now her protector. Against any and all threats, I would stand in front of her and that was my place – it always was. I'd like to think that I became strong for her. A part of me – a very tiny part – will always miss that zesty blonde with those officious eyes and that self-assured little grin that would snake its way across her face. Even when her flames and games were turned against me, I would enjoy the burn in a self-hating, masochistic way.

I remember once when I went to one of her football games after swim practice. I sat in the bleachers and watched her defy all social laws and be the rich, popular, girly girl that kicked ass on the field. Of course, back then I was hell-bent on concealing my affection for Alison but watching her run up and down the grass did a number on me. Her gold curls would be yanked tightly into a preppy ponytail and would drape behind her neck – little strands sticking to her wet skin. I enjoyed watching her athletic muscles constrict and release with every strategic move she made on the ball; that competitive tightening in her smooth, slightly unnoticeable jawline and the satisfaction on her face every time she scored a goal.

After that one particular match, she came up to the stands, right up to me, and took me by the hand; leading me into the locker-room. She was drenched but her sweet perfume remained untouched, only leaving an inebriating combination of faint sweat and lavender. I wanted to drink her all in and feeling the heat of her small hands in mine, made me feel things, deep things, pooling beneath my own surface.

"Ali where are we going?" I asked growing impatient. We passed locker after locker until we found the back of the room. It was poorly and old high school sport equipment created the perfect fortress for a couple of horny teens to explore their hormonal impulses.

"Shut up," she whispered and pinned me against the shelves. She was still heaving lightly from the intensity of her game and her eyes looked wet and hungry. I was confused because it had been probably two weeks since she'd reprimanded me in this very room for trying to kiss her neck.

"Why are we here," I asked stupidly while every sexual nerve in my body slapped their hands across their foreheads wondering what kind of moron I was.

"Why did you come here?" she asked in a husky and sensual voice. Although it held a trace of anger, it was entirely masked by desire. She was so confusing back then and it's now that I realise that she hated me perhaps as much as she hated herself for her attraction to me.

"I-I just wanted to see the match," I stammered observing her body rock back and forth in an aggravation that seem to be growing each time I opened my mouth.

"Why?" she calmly asked trying to control herself. I could barely read her emotions because they were changing quickly like that of a flip book story.

"Cause you're my friend and-"

"Your friend?" _ok so she was definitely mad,_ "I'm your friend now?"

"Ali…"

"As long as you know that, we shouldn't have a problem," she spoke irrationally because I knew that since that day in the locker-room, I had ceased all advances on Alison.

"I don't understand. I just came to watch the game… a-and support you. What's your problem?" I raised my voice at her for the first time ever and then quickly retreated beneath her gaze.

"You're the one with the problem?" she teased and took a step closer to me. I slammed again into the shelves knocking over a muscle-relaxer spray and we both watched it as it hit the ground.

"Look Alison, you made yourself clear… you're not into me and I'm done pretending with you. I'm not playing this game anymore," I sternly replied.

"Who sharpened your tongue little girl?" she asked and her dark eyes berated my body mockingly. "So you're done playing?"

"Y-yes," I replied.

"So being down here… in this empty locker room doesn't make you a little excited?" she teased and traced a lonely finger along my jaw and stopped at my chin.

"No," I looked away trying to contain my shaking.

"Even though no one can see us?" she stepped forward – now only an inch or two away from me.

"I'm not."

"What about now?" she asked after slipping out of her football shirt revealing her pink sports bra that doubled as a push-up although she never really needed the help. My mouth went dry and slightly parted. I wanted to be all over her but to give her the satisfaction that she was completely right – that every fibre in my body was reacting to every word she said, it wasn't going to happen. My eyes raked over her vanilla breasts and followed the defining line to her taut stomach; the bare skin begging to be kissed.

"Ali…"

"Do you want me to take this off?" she untied the string of her football shorts and flashed that seductive smile as she let it drop carelessly to her ankles and then she stepped out of it. "How about now Em?"

I could barely breathe then; afraid that the next thing to escape my body would be the moan that I had been holding back. I was glued to the shelves and she eliminated all space between us. I could hear the thumping of my heart in my ears and I put all efforts into standing my ground.

"I know you wanna kiss me," she said cockily and tilted her head to side, biting her plump pink lips. _Oh God I wanted to kiss her so badly_.

"Hmm," she went, noticing that I wasn't caving under her stupid little games. She squinted faintly and then smiled again.

"Dear God," I thought because I knew that look and I shook a little; bracing myself for whatever provocative idea came to her mind.

"I know how to find out what you're really feeling right now," she took her finger and traced once more, this time from the middle of my chest, straight down to the waistband of my sweats. I shuddered under her touch and she stuck her body on mine.

My lips fell open as she whispered in my ear, "You can stop this whenever you want." Remember that moan I had been stifling, it found its way out my mouth and I could feel her smile as she pressed her lips into my neck.

Her tongue was hot and hungry on the sensitive skin. I knocked over a few more things grabbing for leverage as not to fall. I shut my eyes tight and bit my lips forbidding anymore moans. She sucked the flesh between her lips gently and swirled her tongue some more. That sent shots of heat to my core and my screams threatened to burst from my locked lips.

"God Ali…" I begged and she giggled for a second then tugged at my waistband with that debauched finger, making room for a full hand to slide its way under. When I felt her hand immediately enter my underwear, I bucked forward. Her middle finger entered the folds of my sex, slipping effortlessly in the ocean of desire I had become.

"Ooo, all of this for me?" she continued to tease and I moaned reluctantly as she circled the clit torturously slow. "For someone that isn't excited about me, you sure are wet."

"Oh…" I moaned and she stopped me with her lips. I kissed her back hard and ravenously as if I had been waiting my whole life to taste her. She shot out a quick moan; surprised by the passion I put into it. She pulled away with a little bit of confusion in her expression. Our eyes met and I mean really just met, hard and intensely. I could tell that it made her grossly uncomfortable and she forced mine closed again by speeding up her circles.

I rocked my hips between her agile finger and the shelves, making an exasperating hammering sound. It seemed to motivate her more. That sinful smirk stuck to her lips the entire time and she beamed at me – proud of her work. It didn't take Alison long to bring me towards my first ever orgasm. I held onto her involuntarily; frightened with pronounced pleasure and up until now, I never realised why she didn't immediately pull away. Why I say that is because when I had finally climbed down from that epic climax, her entire demeanour changed.

She looked coldly at me and said, "You're so pathetic…"

"What?" the words slipped out of my mouth; right passed my heavy breathing.

"I bet you're gonna go home and think about how badly you wanted to return the favour… You see, unlike you, I don't think about boning my best friends… so the next time you feel the need to come drool over me playing soccer… don't," she spat out and turned on her heels to walk away.

"Then why would you do this?" I asked and my eyes quickly swelled with water.

"Wasn't it fun?" she returned to her playful character and sauntered the way we came.

I went home that night and cried so hard. Alison had my heart on string and she just enjoyed yo-yoing it. Obviously, it sucked to have my very first orgasm in the back of an old, sweaty locker-room but Alison was the one that gave it to me. I considered myself lucky and for that and many other of her destructive actions, Alison had the undeniable ability to bite you and make it feel good at the same time – like drowning a fish, reeling it in and letting it out.

I could tell you a million stories like that one – reminisce on the golden reign of Rosewood's teen queen. That person was long gone. Before me was a beautiful, kind, and wrecked thing that had me wholly and completely. This was the girl I saw in her all those years back.

Pulling up to my house, the girls were all outside to greet me. I had called them and told them what happened with Alison. In that moment I could have used the tallest glass of wine and a magic pill that would make me forget about that awful day. I didn't get much sleep that night, and the next morning, I knew I had to go see my blonde.


	31. Chapter 31 - Double Trouble Pt 1

"God! Emily, you look like shit," Hanna so eloquently stated before she pulled me into a hug. I honestly needed that more than anything – well almost anything, a drink would have been better.

"How is she?" Aria asked wincing involuntarily as if she anticipated my negative review. I looked to the floor feeling guilty for some reason. I felt like I failed as… well a girlfriend.

"Guys," my voice cracked immediately and it burned in my throat to recant everything that occurred, "she isn't doing well."

"What about Elliott? Did anyone call him?" Spencer asked and then was immediately met with tension by me. Alison and I had yet to tell the girls about our torrid affair. Her husband was the last thing I wanted to talk about. Nevertheless, I knew that we had to inform him of his wife's situation.

"It seems like Alison called him at some point during the evening," I frowned unknowingly and continued, "Can we please continue this discussion inside? I'm really exhausted."

Hanna wrapped her arm around my waist; rocking me in effect, and supported me until we all got to the living room. Mum had already fallen asleep and I couldn't have been more grateful. Having to explain why looked like my entire world had been taken right up from under me wasn't something I had the strength to do at the time. I flopped down on the couch while the others buzzed around. I filled them in on everything that happened between Alison and me for the past few days. The shocked replies had little influence on my already darkened state of mind.

"So you and Alison huh?" Hanna asked with a naughty grin, "Emily Fields, lesbian Lothario, slayer of woman: straight, bi, and married…"

"Shut up Hanna!" Spencer croaked silencing Hanna immediately. The girls could tell that I was completely out of it. I was stuck in a transient state while their murmurs played out like background music to my mind's dysfunction.

"Em?" Aria called trying to access my attention.

"Guys Caleb and the others want to meet up at the hotel," Hanna related with her nose glued to her phone.

"I'm really not up for this tonight," I moaned and stretched out on the couch.

"Emily… while you and Ali were enveloped in your little bubble of adultery, A has been threatening us non-stop-" Spencer scolded.

"What?-" I asked finally paying attention.

"Yeah. Time is running out. He/She/They/It whatever, wants Charlotte's killer by tonight or else," she explained; now standing above me.

"God, I forgot about that," I put my head in my palms and sat up.

"Caleb and I came up with a plan," Hanna interrupted, "let's just get to the Radley and meet up with everyone."

We all got into the car and headed over. When we arrived, the place was bustling. Chatter and alcoholic-infused laughter filled the lobby of the five star hotel. The girls and I walked past the normalcy and headed for Hanna's room. A few minutes later, we were joined by Caleb, Toby and Ezra.

"Alright," I started the conversation, eager to get it over with, "what's this master plan you guys have?"

"So we're basically out of time to give this psycho the killer. He is convinced that it may have been one of us…" Caleb started.

"We'll never find out who it was. I mean obviously, we never figure shit out when it comes to the killer. So Caleb and I..." _lol at Spencer's face right now_ , "came up with a plan. I'm gonna be the killer." Hanna grinned childishly as if she had just been chosen to feed the class pet.

"What Hanna is trying to explain…" Caleb huffed and tugged at his shirt, "Hanna will pretend to be Charlotte's killer and when A decides to show up at the location we decided on, of which we will set alarms and camera, we'll trap –"

"That stupid bitch!" Hanna cut him off with her devilish grin.

"Umm guys, this seems completely dangerous. I mean what if something goes wrong-" I added.

"Nothing will go wrong Emily," she replied rolling her eyes, "I don't see any of you coming up with any grand plans."

"This will work," Caleb assured us before getting into the logistics of the plan.

Nevertheless, the plan failed detrimentally and now we lost two blondes – a double f*ck-up. We were in deep waters and all A left us with were an empty motel room, a cheeky note, and a startling revelation of Mrs D's twin sister. As if we didn't have enough people to deal with from this jacked-up family.

I left the group back at Spencer's house – tired of plans and needed desperately to get air. In one day, everything went wrong and on top of that, I haven't seen Alison since she had been admitted. It had been three days, so I decided that I had to go check up on her.

After one of the longest showers I had ever had in my entire life, I made the trip out to the psychiatric hospital. It was nearing evening and Rosewood's sky took on a pinkish smear of paint. The air was light and chilling; much like the mood I was in. I stuck my hand into my jacket pockets as I entered the black gates.

I walked across to the front desk paying little attention to their attempts to reduce the loony-bin feel of the hospital with live plants and homey colour schemes. A nurse barely greeted me as I approached.

"Um, excuse me," she flashed large hazel, annoyed eyes to me and smacked a piece of gum between her teeth, "I would like to visit a patient."

"What's the patient's name?" she replied stone-faced.

"Alison Dilauren- … R-rollins," I stammered.

"Dilaurenrollins?" she asked whilst typing in the name into her search engine.

"No! no! It's just Rollins," I stretched out my arms gesturing her halt.

"Look lady, I don't have time to waste ok… Uhhh… Mrs Rollins isn't allowed visitors unless its family," I furrowed my brows while she raised hers, "are you family?"

"I uhh, I-I don't understand… w-who authorized this?" I became quickly enraged.

"Her hus- … I mean her doctor," she replied.

I clenched my jaw and paced up and down the room for a couple of seconds. _Who the hell does this guy think he is?_ _I am her family, more than he will ever be!_ I didn't know at the time what the motivation was but I felt in the pit of my stomach that I had to see if she was alright.

"Umm excuse again," I called out to that infuriating nurse, to which she responded with a sigh, "I need to see doctor Rollins. Is he available?"

"Ma'am the doctors of the hospital are extremely busy. If you require to meet with one of our doctors, you need to set up an appointment and-" she rambled on but I interrupted, erupting in anger now.

"Look! You're gonna listen to me and shut up. That's my best friend in there, I brought her in and I deserve to know what the hell is going on! You have two options: Get me in that room, or get doctor Rollins out here right now!" I yelled and the entire first floor came to a halt. I could barely hold onto the air I was breathing.

"Ma'am if you don't calm down I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," she stood up and signalled one of the security guards.

I stormed off in a fit of fury; banging my boots into the cheap tiles of the hospital. Before reaching the door, I saw two nurses signing out to head home. One of them held a pass key and I pounced on the opportunity. I'm not proud of having to flirt with a nurse and stealing her ID, but the woman I love was somewhere around that Godforsaken hospital and I wasn't leaving without seeing her.

I hung the pass around my neck and made my way to the second floor. I had no idea where Alison's room was and searching the entire place would either result in me getting locked in overnight, or possibly getting caught before I could fine her.

"Hey, can you run a check for me doc?" I asked a handsome doctor fiddling with his tablet.

"Umm who are you?" he contorted his face in confusion at my intrusiveness.

"Come on Doc, by now you should be able to recognize a nurse when you see one," I smiled and he smiled back, "I was supposed to file the report on one of the patients but I forgot the room… You don't mind searching for me do you?"

"Uhh sure," he blushed but to be fair I _was_ throwing myself at him. What a day, prostituting myself twice for this girl.

I raced off to Ali's room leaving the good doctor in my dust with a fake number crunched in his hands. I snuck onto the floor and moved as inconspicuously as possible. When I got to the door, the glass had been frosted over. The entire floor was silent with the exception of faint shuffling by nurses and patients. I took in a doleful and anxious breath, slid the pass key along the scanner and pushed the door open.

"Alison?"

…


	32. Chapter 32 - Double Trouble Pt 2

The room was cold; almost freezing and in no way of temperature humanly comfortable. Blonde, wild hair scattered across white, dingy pillows and across pale-blueish skin that was once a tender vanilla shade. It was dark, the blinds sealed shut as if she had been some sort of prisoner; cut off from the world – from warmth. I felt my eyes quickly swell with tears as I took slow and uncertain steps towards her.

When I got close enough that my knees knocked at the metal of the bed frame, I was sure that it was Alison. 'Oh God' was all I could whisper at the bold sight of her. She looked drained not only of energy but of shear life itself. Her eyes were bolted by dried tears only adding to the mummified air.

"Ali?" I called out softly, unsure that I wanted her to wake up. I stretched my trembling hands towards her face with shaking breath. She honestly looked dead. As my fingertips made contact with her icy cheek, her eyes flew open making me jump back and knock over the medicine on the tray behind me.

I bent over and scrambled to pick them up making a bunch of noise as the glass bottles clanged violently together from me clawing at them. I set them down haphazardly on the bedside table and flashed big, brown eyes at her blues. Hers were dark and the veins, swollen to the point that her eyes appeared bloody and deranged.

"Ali?" I called again with staggering breath.

She stared at the ceiling intently but I could tell that she wasn't all there. She started mumbling words in audibly and honestly, my heart was thumping so loudly that I thought I would pass out. I had no idea what to do.

"I'm so sorry," she said and the clearness of her voice brought my eyes up from my lap. Hers were fixed on me. My mouth parted and I tensed for a second unclear as to what frame of mind she was in. I leaned in and placed my palm on her forehead; brushing back the strands of hair from her face. Her skin was cold, I just wanted to jump into bed and hold her but Ali wasn't Ali, and I knew that.

"What are you sorry for," I asked tenderly.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident… I didn't mean to, I promise," she became frustrated and kept repeating the same thing over and over as if she needed me to believe; as if the guilt was terrifying her soul.

"Ali, Ali!" I raised my voice and tried to snap her from her delusions but she was on a crescendo. She tried raising from the bed but her handcuffs restrained her. I hadn't noticed them there until I heard them banging on the iron of the bed. After that, I noticed her wrists were bruised severely. She had a few other bruises along her arms in the shape of handprints. I started crying, more like sobbing and when she saw this, she settled and lay back onto the pillow, watching me with a strange and unnerving compassion.

"Emily," she muttered beneath her breath and reached her hand to my face, as far as the cuffs allowed her. The air caught in my throat and I stared at her but her hand stuck out intently. I leaned in again and held her hand to my face. I closed my eyes finding comfort in her touch, I missed her a lot. We were silent except for the sniffling of my nose from the crying.

"Ali... what are they d-doing to you?" I asked emotionally, still holding her hand to my cheek.

"He's gonna kill me," she said calmly as though she had already come to terms with it. I pulled aware completely blindsided, "he's here." I looked around the room crazed as if this monster she spoke of would jump right out of one of the shadow patches in the room and strangle us both.

"Who are you talking about?" I got closer. Immediately, I thought that she was probably talking about 'A'. And as soon as that thought crossed my mind, a wave of guilt washed over me. I looked away, leaving Ali a blurry, unfocused image at the corner of my eye. Of course this person was targeting her. I was so stupid to think that she would be safe in here.

"He thinks I killed her," she said softly and my head snapped back to face her, mouth agape. She was talking about Charlotte and a sickening coldness filled my stomach to think that this 'A' person saw right through our traps and all this time, he had been punishing Alison for it. "He thinks you're protecting me."

"Who Ali?" I motioned her to reveal but the door handle started juddering aggressively and I stood in shock as the door quickly sprung open. Elliott and two security guards came bursting in the room. I had never seen a person more aggravated than he looked to see me there. I could have practically seen the veins burst one by one on his neck.

"How the hell did you get in here!" he growled at me but I just stood mouth opened and eyes flickering between them and Alison's look of anguish.

"Don't leave me," she said loud enough for only me to hear. I looked down at her and felt my heart shatter to hear her beg like that out of fear.

"I'm sorry ma'am, you need to leave," said one of the guards. I nodded and slipped Alison my phone before taking a step towards the door. She grabbed my hand jerking me back and I froze in place, locked under her eyes. The guards pulled me away and Elliott, accompanied by a nurse tried calming a now screaming Alison. She became hysterical, calling out to me. I fought against the two guards trying desperately to stay with my blonde. I put up such a good fight that they struggled to remove me from the peripheral of Ali's room. I was there long enough to watch her slap Elliott in the midst of her kicking and screaming. He injected her with something that made her go right to sleep and that was all I could see before the guards dragged me down the hall.

"Hey!" Elliott shouted from outside the door of Ali's room. He gestured to the guards to release me and he approached much less provoked than earlier. "What the heck was that?"

"I should be asking you," I retorted obviously pissed.

"You shouldn't have been in there… You could have been arrested…What-" he expressed but I interrupted.

"What the hell are you people doing to Ali?!" I shouted and everyone turned around to look at us. He pulled me into a conference room and closed the door.

"Listen Emily, Alison is very sick and-"

"She was never like that when I brought her here!" my tone was sharp and accusatory.

Elliott sighed and wiped his mouth before explaining that the mental state Alison was in was on a descending course and that if I hadn't brought her in, he felt that she may have tried to hurt herself. He used that to explain the handcuffs when I brought them up. He had me beat, for every point I raised he had a perfectly reasonable argument.

"Look Emily, I know you care very deeply for Alison," _understatement of a lifetime_ , "and I can't imagine how traumatizing it must have been to see her in that state… but I can assure you that we are taking the best care of Alison. I am her husband and I know what's best for my wife both psychologically and personally."

"You have got to be kidding me," I furrowed my brows at him and scoffed, "you have been married to Alison for all of what? Two minutes… Or did you forget that she ended up in the hospital only a few hours after you put that ring on her finger."

"She is _MY_ _WIFE!_ " he barked, startling me, "It's my call."

He stormed out of the room leaving me with my tail between my legs. When I finally gathered my thoughts, I left the hospital in a fit of rage. I drove way over the speed limit leaving a tornado of leaves following my car. I got back to the hotel and headed straight for the bar. A cold, hard drink was what I needed. As the liquid amnesia hit the back of my throat, it gave a satisfying burn. I knocked a few more down before heading upstairs.

When I got to our floor, I decided to check in on the girls. They were all exactly in the same position I left them. Everyone looked completely distressed but none more than Caleb. It was practically his great idea that got Hanna taken away. I felt slight guilt that all I had on my mind was Alison when one of my best friends had been kidnapped. God knows what she was going through in that moment.

"Hey," Aria walked over to hug me. The rest continued their business. Mona and Caleb were on the counter engrossed in two laptops searching for some connection. If anyone could find Hanna, the two of them could.

"I can't believe this happened," Spencer held her head in her hands and slumped over on the couch.

A few seconds later, Toby came through the doors summoning everyone's attention. Caleb practically leaped from the counter stool. Apparently, there had been a report filed about a break in at the Lost Woods Resorts, the motel Hanna was abducted in. That entire scene had been perplexing from losing Hanna to seeing double. We thought that whoever made the report must be linked to Hanna's disappearance and so Toby went to get as much information as possible.

"Well?" Caleb probed impatiently.

"You guys aren't gonna believe this," he paused dramatically and each of us sat perched at the edge of our seats, "The person we saw in the surveillance video wasn't Mrs D… It was her sister, her twin sister… umm Mary, Mary Drake."

"What?!" Spencer, Aria and I bellowed simultaneously. In each of our minds, I'm almost sure that that picture of Charles we found back at that creepy old house came up. _So Charlotte was Ali's cousin._ We filled the others in and Caleb was aching to go approach Mary.

"We can't go to Mary," Toby advised.

"Why the hell not… If Charlotte was her daughter then obviously she is the one that took Hanna! We have her on tape. If she thinks Hanna killed her kid… I – I…" he retreated to the couch and broke out in tears. Spencer comforted while Toby continued.

"Look, the reason we can't go to Mary is because we were the ones that trespassed on her property. She had every right to be there that night and that's what her lawyers will argue. At least we have some sort of idea as to who could have possibly taken Hanna and-" he explained but was cut off.

"And what man, we just have to sit around and hope we get another opportunity like this. I mean sorry to say but while we wait around this person or persons could kill Hanna," Ezra spoke up.

"Ezra's right," I agreed, "we can't just do nothing."

"We aren't doing 'nothing'. There was a car a few metres from the resort. If I can get a read on the plate then maybe I can get a tag. It's a long shot, hoping that the surveillance picked up on anything. We can run a trace and maybe it will lead us to Hanna." Mona chimed in.

"Guys, there's something I have to tell you…" I said pulling everyone's attention.

"What is it?" Aria asked concerned.

"I went to visit Alison today-"

"I really don't want to hear about Alison," Caleb spewed emotionally.

"No. Listen. She was in a terrible state. I don't know what they're giving her there but she's worse now. She kept apologising for something and I'm wondering if she might have… might've killed Charlotte –" I said half-heartedly because I felt like I had betrayed the love of my life.

"You think that Ali did it?" Aria asked and everyone just kind of looked around at each other.

"We have to tell 'A'" Mona approached the circle with a serious look on her face. My stomach started turning at the sight of everyone slowly agreeing to the idea.

"We can't, he'll take Ali," I pleaded.

"Hanna's out there alone and God knows what they're doing to her… Alison made her bed, Hanna shouldn't have to lay in it," Spencer argued bitterly and directly to me.

"But-"

"Em, Ali's at the hospital… she'll be safe… there are guards to protect her but Hanna… well Hanna has no one. Maybe if we give Ali up, we can get Hanna back and then we can protect Alison," Aria said trying to persuade me gently.

"You guys weren't there… something isn't right… I don't think-"

"We're doing this," Spencer spoke over me and the others quickly agreed and came up with yet another plan. I felt awful basically giving one friend for the other. Alison would never forgive me if she knew and I would never be able to forgive myself if she got hurt. How secure could the hospital be if I was able to get to her unnoticed. The thought sickened me.

A few days passed and we heard nothing. I got a new phone and tried contacting Alison but got no response. I was too ashamed to show my face at the hospital, not that I would have been able to see her. I barely slept those few days, plagued by the thoughts of Hanna, Alison and believe or not, Paige. There was only silence.

…

Throughout the day, we all met up and did what we had to do. I was a zombie to the entire ordeal – lost in my thoughts entirely. That same evening, we got a call from the hospital stating that they had Hanna. We all raced over and sat in the waiting room completely shocked at the fact that the plan worked. Everyone seemed excited but worried because we were told that she had been severely dehydrated and had several minor injuries.

"Uhh excuse me," Toby went up to the front desk.

"Yes officer, how can I help you?" the middle-aged nurse flirted.

"A patient, Hanna Marin, was brought in a few hours ago…" he probed.

"Y-yeah that's correct," she assured him.

"Who brought her in?" he asked.

"Umm… A Mary Drake drove her to the hospital," she responded.

"You have to be kidding me!" Caleb shouted.

"Dude relax," Toby mouthed over to our area.

"I really cannot keep up," Aria clasped her head in her hands, "I hope Hanna is ok."

I young doctor soon came out wheeling Hanna over to us. She was pretty banged up around the edges but seemed fine. She burst into tears when she saw us and we all hugged her individually thanking God for her safe returned. We wasted no time to get back to the hotel, right after Hanna gave the police her statement. We all got a message from 'A' that sent the world of chills down my spine. It read:

 **No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. Pleasure doing business with you ;) – A.D.**

I went back to my room though. I had a terrible feeling and needed to get some rest. I lay out on the couch and before I knew it, I drifted asleep. Maybe an hour had passed before my phone started vibrating like crazy. When I looked at it, all I could see were frantic S.O.S messages from Alison.

She turned on the tracker on the phone I gave her and sent one final message:

 **He's gonna kill me. What did you guys do?**


	33. Chapter 33 - Till Death Do Us Part

I sat up with sleep still lingering in my big, brown eyes. The message sent shear panic coursing through my body wiping all lethargy away. All the symptoms one could experience when facing sudden dread, I was experiencing in those few minutes I sat frozen on the couch. _What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do?_ I stood up and reached across the counter for my car keys and with every step I took, my heart pounded in a steady but debilitating synchronicity. I wasn't thinking straight, all I could see where those blue eyes and the thought of never having the chance to see them again. For someone in complete hysteria, I appeared oddly aloof.

I paced down the Radley halls; hair flying in a messy trail behind me. You know those scenes in movies where the actor has a mental break and a stream of echoing voices circles their mind preventing them from thinking straight, that was me in that instant – the voices were Ali's. When I got to the elevator, I pushed the button uninterruptedly but it was just taking way to long. I decided to take the stairs and I sprinted missing several steps at a time and nothing could stop me. But something did. It caught my eye momentarily - the black handle like a hypnotic snake beckoning me to grab it. The silver tip of the axe too clean and would only be fitting with the dark red stain of his blood. I pulled it violently off the wall and it swung beside me madly as I made my way to my car.

I exhaled deeply and took off following the tracker on Alison's phone. I was half-way out of Rosewood when I realised that I could've brought the girls along for help. By then it was too late to turn back. I was pushing 120 and praying that an officer didn't pull me over, or maybe that would have been a good thing but I had plans. This maniac was taking Alison far out of town and all parts of me pleaded to God that I could reach them before they entered the woods. I just had a sickening feeling that he would take her there and do God knows what to my beautiful blonde.

The engine of my car screamed as I unconsciously accelerated to 180. For someone who planned on murdering another person, their car was driving unconventionally slow. I could've just imagined the confidence this creep was feeling; thinking he'd get away with killing her. _God I hope he doesn't kill her._

I was neared them and by then I had entered the wooden area. Twigs and random pebbles were being crushed beneath my tyres causing the steering wheel to rock on its own. I gripped it firmly, angrily, almost tasting the moment when I'd come face to face with this person that seemed intent on destroying everything I loved. With a clenched jaw, I drove on quickly; closing the space between their car and mine.

I few kilometres into the woods, the signal suddenly dropped and I pulled a sharp brakes. The tyres screeched, kicking up a cloud of dust only visible by my headlights. "F*ck! No, no, no, no, no!" I hyperventilated as I fiddled with the app on my phone; frantically looking around for any sort of sign or anything. The woods were dark with the sole exception of the moonlight and the canopy of trees seemed to run forever, in all directions. I have never prayed that much in my entire life than I did that night I was trying to save the woman I loved.

She must have been wholly terrified and it hurt me so badly to think that she was alone with that feeling. I was extremely afraid to even try to contact her but I had to, he was going to kill her anyways and calling was the only chance I saw of ever getting to her.

I put the car back into drive and haphazardly drove through the woods; taking turns at guess. I dialled the number and transferred the call to my car speaker. It rang quite a few times before a man answered.

"Hello Emily," it was a deranged but calm tone. The man had an English accent that I don't think I ever heard before. I had no idea who this person was.

"Who is this?! Where are you taking Alison?!" I yelled into the mic.

"Emily!" I heard a muffled voice call out in the background and the man demanded her to shut up.

"Ali! Ali! Where are you?!" I cried; my hands now shaking to control the car, "please don't hurt her."

The man laughed and confidently replied, "I'll do much more than that…" He hung up but before the call ended, I heard a loud gunshot that made me jump. It tore through the air in a stark opposition to the quiet of the woods. I started trembling and now really struggling to steer the car. From the ranges in the noise, I was able to estimate their direction and how far I was to them.

I felt like someone shot me. Tears clouded my vision but I drove as fast as I could. _He shot her! He killed her! He killed me!_ I sobbed loudly, above all other noise. I only ever cried like that when my father died. The thought of a world without the blonde wasn't a world for me and with that mind-set; I didn't care what happened next. A part of me wished that I'd find him and that he'd put a bullet in me as well just to end the misery or I'd just settle for running head-on into a tree.

Speeding through, I saw headlights approaching in an adjacent direction just ahead of my trail. It had to be him and I slammed the gas pedal into the floor of the car and shut my eyes before I rammed into the silver civic. The crash was like a thunderclap with the raw power of a storm. I felt my body haul forward roughly and my head slammed into the dashboard knocking me out momentarily.

When I came to, warm blood slid down the side of my face and my entire body was in a shrill and evenly dispersed pain. I could hear nothing but the ear-punishing ringing like a lurid bag of hundreds of coins being jiggled non-stop. I looked up slowly over the dashboard and the front of my car was totalled; the metal pushed back like crumpled paper. I saw Elliott slumped over unconscious and Alison sat behind him with blood mixed in with tussled blonde hair. I couldn't see her face; I couldn't tell if the blood was from the crash or the gunshot.

I reached weakly for the door and opened it causing the loose glass to fall like glittered diamonds on the ground. I stumbled towards their car and opened Ali's door, Elliott was still comatose when I glanced over.

"A-Ali?" I winced still in pain. I cleared her blonde mane from her face and felt elated when she flinched. Her eyelids were closed tightly before she opened them revealing those blue eyes – the ones I never thought I would see again. I breathed a sigh of relief and searched her body for the bullet wound but couldn't find any. "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?" I asked with a croaked voice.

She squinted in pain as she lifted her head to see the wreckage. She put her hands to her face trying to gage herself. She then shook her head slowly, now slightly trembling in shock. Elliott took the brunt of the crash but was now regaining his senses. Alison started to panic yet unable to move when he semi-consciously opened his car door and threw himself outside, unto the floor. I limped around the car using it as leverage and there he was trying pathetically to crawl away. His legs were badly damaged and his face was bloody yet he kept crawling like the vermin he was.

I walked to my car and pulled the axe out. It fit firmly and perfectly in my palms that were now heated and shaking with rage. The ringing was still in my ears rendering me slightly psychotic and I dropped the axe into the soft flesh of skin causing him to yelp out. Alison screamed startled by the sound but covered her mouth, and her body shook with every connection of the axe. I swung and swung and swung until he stopped blaring in agony and even then, I continued; now completely covered in his warm blood. I must've dropped that axe about thirty times; heaving barbarically, with each swing more powerful than the last. It was like I couldn't stop, not even when the blade made contact with the ground. The sound of the cracking bones and the gushy sounds of flesh and blood drove me. _I couldn't let him hurt her, I couldn't let him hurt her_.

"Emily," Ali called out shaken behind me. I stopped mid-swing and dropped the axe when I realised what I was doing. She came in front of me and placed her soft hands on my face forcing me to look down at her, "he's gone."

I gasped for breath and slid down the car door into a seated position; she sat next to me and Elliott lay butchered before us. I looked at my trembling, blood-soaked hands and frantically wiped them off in my jacket. Blood was everywhere; I have never seen that much blood before in my life. I looked at Alison, wide-eyed and she reached around and hugged me. I gasped at her embrace and held onto her for sanity. She pulled back and I kissed her deeply; so thankful that she was alive and that she was safe.

Her hands danced in my hair and she deepened the kiss. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers breathing heavily. "What are we gonna do?" I whispered.

"Help me get him into the car and we'll push it into the lake," she stood up and said. Ali reached out her hands and pulled me up and we did the deed without hesitation. I killed a man, in the most vicious way. I didn't even know I could do that. I couldn't even recognize myself and the spattered blood didn't help as I looked in the side mirror. We washed off as much of the blood as we could in the lake and just waited. I felt the burn of her blue eyes on me as we waited for the car to sink. As soon as it did, we drove off and headed back to the Radley.

By the time we got to the hotel, it had been about 3:15 in the morning. I was exhausted, traumatized, and relieved all in one. Alison and I hadn't spoken a word to each other until we got back. I dropped everything on the floor and I was about to sit on the couch when she grabbed my arm. I was now facing her tiny frame and looking at the floor feeling like a dark and empty casing; completely disconnected and dehumanized.

She tilted my head up and spoke with her eyes, the kindest words while I tried to fight back my tears. Her thumb caressed my cheek sweetly and I nestled towards the friction. She then led me towards the bathroom; still in silence. My clothes were torn, wet, and stained with blood. She unbuttoned my shirt and slid it down my shoulders never break her intense gaze with mine. My breath hitched at the intimacy; fearing to break the moment if I breathed or moved too much. I stood and let her undress me and then I watched as she got naked.

Her body was beautiful, bruised; black and blue marks scattered across her vanilla skin and I started crying as I glided my palms across them. She shuddered from the ones that were fresh and her eyes also started watering but she tried desperately hard to control them while I caved irrepressibly.

The warm water hit us both at the same time. The feeling of the shower was much more therapeutic than I expected it to be. I felt dainty hands creep up the sides of my waist and pull me towards her. We kissed long and hard; in total liberation, in total amazement that it was all over. I kissed her apologizing for all of the pain and she kissed me in gratitude for all that I did. It got so passionate that we forgot all about the shower so the water just run aimlessly against us as we became lost in each other.

I snaked my hands to her wet and slippery breasts rubbing the firm nipples between my thumbs and forefingers. She moaned into my mouth while I kneaded her begging bosoms. Having her body flushed against mine was the only thing that mattered in that instant. I wanted to please her so badly – to erase the horrible feelings of that night.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, locking them, and I lifted her up onto me and pinned her against the tiles of the bathroom. Her lips fell open as I kissed, sucked, and bit at her body. Her aching moans quickly filled the room sending waves of heat to my centre and I grinded against her core, deepening the sensation. Her nails dug into my back and she begged me to continue but I had no intensions of stopping.

I slipped my hand between us, into her delicious folds and her body bucked against mine as if she hadn't felt this good in a while. She sunk her teeth into my shoulder and I circled her clit painfully slow making sure to draw out as much pleasure as I could. I rubbed on her bundle of nerves and sucked at her hard nipples sparing neither of them because I knew she loved it. Her legs were trembling against my waist and her breathing was now quick and sharp. She was about to come and I quickened my pace to intensify the orgasm. When I felt she was at the brink of her pleasure, I removed my lips from her breast so that I could see the look on her face as I brought her to that warm bliss.

Alison's moans were the most weakening sounds to my body. I felt like I could cum just by hearing them. Her head tossed back while she rode out her crippling climax, breathing sporadically and clinging onto me for dear life. I removed my fingers from the blonde and held her face guiding it towards mine for a sweet kiss. Her eyes were still shut and her body now producing random spasms as she calmed down.

"I love you," she whispered and I smiled against her heart-shape lips.

She climbed down and we resumed the actual bath deciding to soap each other and remove all trace of that night. Climbing under the warm sheets with her next to me was the best feeling in the world. All the worries that were to arise in the morning were the furthest thing from our minds. We wrapped up in each other and went fast to sleep without stir.


	34. Chapter 34 - To Catch A Dilaurentis

I woke up later that morning around 11 am and searched the bed groggily for the beautiful blonde. It was empty with only ruffles forming the sultry shape of her body. I sat up quickly and wiped my eyes as I headed for the living room. I wasn't panicking because I thought, maybe she got hungry or thirsty.

"Ali?" I called upon entering the kitchen area – no sign of her. Now I was freaking out. She knows better than to play these games given what happen last night. A swirl of negative thoughts filled my mind while I rummaged the hotel room looking for her. _Where the f*ck is she?!_

"Shit!" I started really losing it now because I had literally no way of reaching her. She left the phone I gave her under her pillow and my keys were gone. I stood still to allow myself to think and then I rushed over to the girls' room.

Bang! Bang! Bang! I pounded on their hotel doors individually and they almost all simultaneously came out. I was pacing in a tiny oval with sweaty palms and furrowed brows. I could only imagine the anxious expression I wore judging from the girls' reaction to seeing me.

"Em what the hell?" Hanna asked confused by my lack of composure.

"Guys… I messed up. Something's very very very very very very wrong," I rambled with a shaky voice.

"Hey, hey relax… just tell us," replied Aria, always like the concerned and comforting mother.

"I think something happened to Ali… I don't know where she is…" I said and a couple tears escaped my eyes as I searched them for an answer. Hoping that one of them would say that she was in their room.

"Have you been drinking?" Spencer deadpanned and Aria pulled me into a hug, "Alison's at the hospital." Her tiny palms rubbed my back as I broke down. Before I let myself become absent-minded about time constraints, I pulled away and started explaining what happened.

"Ali was in trouble last night… Her husband… He was gonna kill her and we killed him… He's at the bottom of the lake… Ali's gone," I explained and honestly, in my mind, I could've sworn I was giving a more comprehensive account of last night.

"Em, Em what the hell are you talking about!" Hanna exclaimed wide-eyed then they pulled me into Spencer's room.

I tried again and I think I gave them the full story. They all looked taken for fools by the time I was finished.

"A's dead?" Aria almost cried at the relief that probably rushed its way across her shoulders.

"I can't believe this. I _can't_ believe this," Spencer was now the one that was pacing, "how could you guys be so reckless. The lake! Are you freaking kidding me Emily…"

"Spence chill. They were panicked..." Hanna attempted to defend me while I sat with my head hung.

"They killed someone!" she retorted and I guess I understood how stupid we dealt with the situation but she wasn't there. She didn't feel what we were feeling – she didn't see what we were seeing – She didn't do what I had to do.

"And I'd do it again!" I shouted above the bickering girls; startling them all.

"You'd do it again Emily," she said in such a venomous tone that I couldn't decipher whether it was a question or a maddening statement.

"Look, all this arguing isn't going to solve a thing…" Aria stated before Spencer interrupted.

"Emily… where's your car?" she slowly asked with fear lingering lightly on the words. My eyes were saucers and I raced to the parking lot with the girls trailing behind me. It was gone. A puddle of leaked oil settled in its place and dark faded tyre marks led a short distance in the direction that it was taken.

"I-I-I put it right here!" I stammered in panic, "where the hell is it?" my trembling brown eyes scanned the entire parking lot hoping that maybe I just forgot where I parked it. But then again, who would miss a banged up Corolla.

"Maybe Ali took it?" Aria suggested. We were scared out of our minds by then because if it wasn't with Alison then that meant that someone knew what I did and they had all the evidence they needed. Things like this only happens because of one sick individual and the thought of not killing the right person made my stomach turn. What's worse is that A is still out there, he or she or they could have the car and possibly Ali also.

My chest was tight and it felt like I had to put so much effort into breathing. I closed my eyes and the sounds around me just silenced. The girls' murmurings went mute and the only thing I could hear was the sound of me struggling to swallow.

"Ok Em?" Hanna stated but I hadn't been listening to the plan at all.

"Huh?"

"Em please try to stay with us," Aria placed a hand on my back when she spoke.

"We're gonna go to the Dilaurentis' home and see if Alison went there with the car," Spencer explained, "Let's go."

When we got to the Ali's house, the door was open; not even pushed in all the way. The car was missing but I had still hoped to find Alison inside. At least I wouldn't have to worry about her safety, just me probably spending the rest of my life in jail for murder.

"Ali?" Hanna called.

"Shhh!" Spencer shushed her, "she might run off."

"Why would she?" Aria asked with a confused look on her face and her hands gestured to match. Spencer just looked at her with pursed lips as if she held back an insult. Aria rolled her eyes and we entered further into the house.

I checked upstairs in her room but there was no sign of her. Her room looked entirely creepy without her in it and I never noticed it before, but something about the stillness freaked me out. Every step I took, was marked by an old creek in the floor board.

AHHHH! I heard an ear piercing scream and all hell broke loose in my mind. I raced down the stairs to the kitchen area because it sounded like it came from there – it sounded like Hanna. Aria, Spencer and I almost collided at the bottom of the stairs trying to get to Hanna.

"Dude relax," I heard and as my eyes took the corner to the kitchen area, I saw Jason standing a few inches from Hanna with a bat.

"Jason?" Spencer noted muddled as if she didn't recognise him.

"In the flesh…"

"What are you doing here," Aria asked and stood next to Hanna. I stayed beneath the doorframe.

"Well I could ask you, four, the same thing… I mean… _this. Is. my house_ ," he replied cockily with a tiny smirk. Oh yeah, he was shirtless.

"We were looking for Ali," I mustered up and they all turned to face me and then back to him.

He chuckled for half a second and his smirk grew to a grin followed by him massaging his forehead in amusement. "You guys… Never a dull moment huh?" he looked around at us and walked over to the refrigerator, "My sister is at the mental hospital."

"No she's not…" I replied.

"Wellllll I just came from there and she seems fine. Hates the jell-o there but it'll do," he said and poured himself a glass of juice, "If you guys are done snooping around, could you lock the door on your way out." He motioned us to leave with a lazy palm and we turned on our heels and left the house.

"Emily, what the hell's going on?" Hanna asked.

"I- I don't know…"

It was about half one when we got to Welby. We did all but run up to the desk and asked to visit Alison. Hanna was there so the nurse thought she was Ali's twin and allowed us to go in. I entered the room first and the girls trotted close behind. Jason was telling the truth. She was there. She jumped when she saw us and got up to hug me.

"Ali…" Aria whispered in disbelief.

"Why did you leave?" I asked as she released me from the hug.

"I had to… They would suspect that Rollins and I ran away and I wouldn't be able to return without them questioning where he was or making me a suspect for his disappearance. This was the only way to have deniability," she explained.

"She's right… That was the best option." Spencer concurred.

"Yeah but what about the car?" Aria questioned.

"I had to move the car before people at the hotel saw it. In the event that the police finds Archer's car, they would notice the crash damage and someone may link it back to Emily's car. I asked a friend to handle it… you should have it back in two days, without a scratch…"

"Oh yeah and what friend is that Alison… because your _'friends'_ aren't always playing for the right team," Spencer spewed.

"It's someone I can trust," she said but looked directly into my eyes.

"Thank you," I said softly and placed my palm on her cheek.

"What you did for me… I …" she tried to talk and the tears welled up in her big beautiful eyes but they did just that. She blinked them away and flashed the others a smile. "I think we're finally free."

"How are we going to get you out of here?" Aria asked.

"I don't know," she replied defeated.

"Spence?" I looked to her hoping she had an idea.

"I don't know… umm… Maybe we can prove that you're not completely insane," she smiled and Ali giggled back.

"I think he gave me some bad drugs or something," she offered up.

"What if we could find the list of medicine he injected into you," Hanna stated.

"No, no let's just get her an evaluation and get her the hell out of here," Spencer stated.

"Ladies, visiting hours are over," A tall nurse peeked in and alerted us.

We said our goodbyes and of course I took the longest. The girls walked ahead to give Ali and I a little time by ourselves. She walked closer to me and shun those big blues in my direction. God I almost coward beneath them.

"I love you..." it slipped out my mouth involuntarily and she pressed her head against mine with a cheeky smile. The one I love so much.

"I know," she replied and pecked me on the lips.

She turned gingerly to walk away when I snatched her back and planted the most heated and passionate kiss on her peach lips. She half gasped, half moaned when I took her lips and she wrapped her arms around my waist while mine gripped her arm and the other cupped her chin.

When I pulled away, her eyes stayed shut a bit longer than mine did and her dimpled smile showed before she opened them.

"Wow," she whispered and I blushed.

"I'll get you out of here," I assured her and leered at her genuinely before walking out of her room.

I walked the halls of Welby with the best feeling of respite and the sweetest taste on my lips. I partially strutted through those mad halls; vowing silently to never set foot back in that Godforsaken hospital, unless it was to pick my pretty little blonde up. Can you die of utter happiness?


	35. Chapter 35 - Apex, Resolution, Apex

"So how do we plan to handle this?" Aria spoke up first and then we all looked to Spencer.

The girls and I were seated in my room with enough space between to the triple the occupancy. We had just came back from visiting Ali at Welby – more like accounting for her. With Rollins out of the way, we had to get Alison out of the hospital. She told us that he admitted to drugging her and tricking her, with the help of her aunt, to believe that she was going completely insane. I must admit that I felt slightly guilty – I always do when it comes to protecting Ali and I couldn't.

"Well I'm little concerned that if we act to soon, the police might think it suspicious regardless that a patient's doctor/husband goes missing and then all of a sudden she gets to go free. Ali is the beneficiary of Rollin's disappearance. No matter what we do, she will become the lead suspect."

"So what are you saying… we can't get her out of there?" I stood and began my ritual pacing up and down.

"Calm down Em…" Aria said.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I raised my voice causing an awkward silence to fill the room. I released a sharp huff of air and slumped into the loveseat. "I'm sorry… guys, I just…"

"We know," Hanna reached over and placed her palm on my knee that was now bouncing in anxiety.

"No… I let her go in there… I handed her over to him…"

"Emily, you had no way of knowing that Ali's husband would turn out to be one of those fatal attraction spouses from LMN… and you handle it… better than any of us could," she replied.

I sighed and placed my head in my hands.

"You guys have no idea…"

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked and sat on the arm of my chair.

I raised wet brown eyes towards her and then looked at the others.

"I… I love Alison… and I'm not talking about the normal kind of love – it's the kind that makes you run through the rain just to see her smile or burn the toast because you're just so wrapped up in how magnificently beautiful she is . From the moment I saw her all those years back, I loved her - her eyes, those big, dopy blues, her mischievous smile and the little dimple that makes its way to her cheek. Every inch of her, I fell for. You guys may have never gotten the chance to really see her the way I do, the innocent and wonderful side of her but that was all I could see. She is the only thing that I can ever be absolutely sure about where my feelings go. And… I would go to the ends of the earth for her. You have to understand that I wouldn't be me if anything happens to her. She's the biggest and the best part of me. I have never once felt this way for anyone else, not even a fraction of it... I don't know… Is any of it making sense?"

They were all looking at me with doe eyes and ridiculous grins plastered on their faces. I couldn't help but smile back. I felt freeing to express my feelings for Alison to them. You know the feeling you get when you brag about your crush to your friends when you're like fifteen.

"Oh my God Emily," Aria clutched her heart and exhaled deeply happy.

"You sound like you're ready to marry the girl," Hanna joked.

"I am…" I quickly retorted and I part of me wanted to jump on the couch like Tom Cruise and scream my beautiful blonde's name.

"That's really touching Em but in order for you to marry Ali, we've gotta get her out of Welby first," Spencer said as she gave me a side hug.

We spent the rest of the evening discussing what we would have to do to get Ali released and immediately put the plan into effect. By a crook or a hook, I was getting my blonde out of there. I didn't want to waste any more time. If I had to burn that place to the ground I would.

Spencer had a talk with a lawyer at the Hasting's firm. He agreed to pressure the board to give all patients a random psych-evaluation and we were all hoping that Alison's own would render her psychologically capable of being released to live on her own.

The evaluation process took maybe a couple of weeks and every time I would visit Ali, she grew more and more impatient. I could see the disappointment in her eyes and I felt the anger in the sex. I was bartending at the Radley when Spencer got the call from the lawyer she hired. Somehow he was able to find out that Alison did pass her evaluation but the doctors were hesitant to release her. They found evidence of depression and extreme guilt and she also tested positive for hormone imbalances that probably causes her mood swings. After the hospital ran labs on her blood sample, they were able to source the chemicals that Rollins had illegally inserted into Alison.

If Ali was to be released, she would have to be in the care of a trusted family member. We all pleaded for it to be me but opted for Jason when they insisted that it be a blood relative. However, given Jason's past abuse of drugs, he was ineligible to be Alison's caregiver. The only other person available was Mary and Alison could care less, she just wanted to get out of there. The situation caused a delay in her being released but eventually they did. She was given medication to aid in the cleansing of the toxic drugs that were still residing in her system.

"Are you sure about this Ali?" I asked placing my hand on the lower part of her back. She blushed and nodded her head.

One second later, Mary came around the corner with her wagon. That lady was creepy as hell. She reminded me of those witches like Maleficent or something. Her dead eyes raked over us as Alison hugged me before getting into the car. I stood with an achy smile stitched across my face and Ali returned the same. I reared as she and her aunt drove off then I got into my car and headed back to the hotel.

The girls were waiting anxiously at the door as if I had just came back from prom or something. Aria was missing though, I think she went to visit Ezra. I was so relieved that things were finally at a flat line and we could all enjoy the normal things in life for a while. I only say for a while because the drama never really ever leaves Rosewood. I'm sure the girls were anxious to leave but I… I think I found several reasons to stay.

After having quite a few drinks, I went staggering back to my room. I threw myself on the couch and maybe three seconds later, my phone notified me of a text message. I growled in annoyance but when I saw who texted me, I sat up spritely and felt the tugging of my cheeks up into a big grin.

 _ **A: Hey you  
E: Hi Gorgeous. I miss you so so so much  
A: ughh you know how much I wish you were here. Mary has been bothering me non-stop.  
E: Lol really? Well I guess it's better than Welby right :p.  
A: I hate when you're right babe  
E: Oh, you love it  
A: You know what else I love ;)  
E: I can probably guess a few things  
E: Hello?  
E: Ali  
A: Sorry, my babysitter came into my room… But I would love to hear about those few things 3  
E: How about I show you**_

I rushed to the closet for my jacket and some sexy lingerie and sped over to Alison's house. I parked a few houses down and snuck around to the back of the Dilaurentis house to the side where Ali's bedroom window was. Her lights were off and I guess I could've texted her but I thought it would be more romantic if I tossed a few pebbles and surprised her.

 _Clink! Clink!_

I looked up and watched as her small arms pushed the window up and a mass of golden curls hung over the edge. Second, I noticed the pretty blue orbs and then that corrosive smile followed. My heart fluttered and the butterflies welled up in my stomach like old times. It was straight out of a Shakespeare play so I played along.

" _ **What light through yonder window breaks?**_

 _ **It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.**_

 _ **Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon…"**_

To me it sounded romantic as hell and I wanted to pat myself on the back for my memory of those lines we had to debunk in literature class. But to Alison, it sound like a croaky and loud shrieking of those iconic lines which I butchered. I was hammered but she grinned anyways at me as I continued drunkenly spewing nonsense at her window sill.

"Shhhh! Emily. Come up," she whispered and sniggered in between her words.

" _ **She speaks:**_

 _ **O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art**_

 _ **As glorious to this night, being o'er my head**_

 _ **As is a winged messenger of heaven…"**_

I recited the lines as I climbed up the trellis to my blonde's window. She outstretched vanilla arms and received me sweetly. I clambered into her room and she 'shh' me again for fear of causing her aunt to come check on her. I was breathing heavily with her arms still supporting me. We were both stifling our laughter at my antics. Ali looked at me lovingly and kissed my forehead before pulling me into a hug.

"What is wrong with you Emily Fields?" she giggled.

"Nothing's wrong," I took her lips.

"Mmmm," she hummed and kissed me again, "are you drunk Ms Fields?"

"Maybe a little," I blushed and her eyes were fixed on mine. I was mesmerized by the twinkling within them. She was such an amazing sight to see; alluring Alison. I don't think there's a girl more beautiful than her. "I have a surprise for you."

"You mean apart from this?" she gestured at my presence jokingly.

"Lock the door," I commanded softly and she smirked slightly confused but intrigued at my request.

I started undressing and soon was down to the sexy lingerie I wore just for her. I watched as the playful grin faded from her face and was replaced by a dumbfounded look of sheer covetousness.

"You asked me to show you the things that I think you like," I purred and I let my arms rub against my toned stomach. Her peach lips fell open and I could feel how badly she wanted me. It was exhilarating.

"And that's why you're here?" she whispered; barely able to speak.

"I don't like to disappoint," I retorted and she bit her thick, moist lips putting me into the same horny boat she was in. I know she does it involuntarily but she knows what it does to me when she bites her lip.

She stood a good few feet away from me and looked almost paralyzed by the site of me which turned me on so much more.

"Does Ali wanna touch?" I teased her seductively and she nodded her head like a school kid being offered candy. She closed the space between us and we went at it hard like we usually do. Only this time, we had to be quiet which made it oh so much hotter.

Alison couldn't wait to undress me. She unwrapped me like a present; hardly caring at all for the wrapping paper. I gasped as I heard the strings bursting from her forcefulness. She was so sexy when she got aggressive with me.

"Emily," she stopped abruptly while straddling my bare body.

"Huh," I muttered reflexively as she snuffed me from my erotic ecstasy.

"Em, I am so in love with you," she said and her demeanour became serious. It kind of scared me shitless.

"Aha Ali," I squirmed beneath her, "I know you do." I furrowed brows and squinted so that I wouldn't miss a thing of what her agenda was.

"I don't think you really understand…" she looked at her hands that were clasped on top of my stomach.

"Ali is everything ok?" I shifted and she climbed off of me. We were both, now, naked in bed, facing each other. I leaned on my elbow for support and watched on as she gathered the courage to say why she interrupted sexy time.

"I need you to know how much I love you," she looked at me gingerly, beckoning for understanding and I swore I gave it to her but she looked discontented.

Alison jumped up off the bed and headed over to her closet. I must admit that I admired her delicious curves as she sauntered across the room. I had absolutely no idea what she was looking for.

"Ali what are you doing," I laughed uncomfortably when I felt that she had been digging in that old closet forever. She stood up and hid something behind he back. Immediately I sat up and walked over to her.

She had traces of tears running down her alabaster face and I wiped them away with the pads of my thumbs. I searched her eyes for what the problem could be but I had absolutely no idea as to what could have onset this reaction. I mean, I thought we were having a pretty great time before. We're all free of 'A', she's out of the hospital, we're together, there doesn't seem to be a problem in sight. Yet, my little blonde looked so distressed, nervous even.

"Is there something you wanna tell me Alison?" I pleaded her response with focused eyes.

"More like something I have to ask you," she took a step back from me and wiped her eyes with one hand.

My heart was racing but I tried to keep my poise and hoped that whatever came out of her mouth next, I'd be able to handle. She had that familiar look in her eyes, the one she got when she's about to say something that would change everything. And what she had to say to me that night, completely threw everything into an entirely new perspective.

Alison stooped down on both knees and faced her bright shimmering cobalt discs towards my concerned brown ones. _Oh dear God please let it be quick and painless_. I stood almost towering over the blonde.

"Ali?"

"Em, just let me talk okay," she ran a hand through her messy curls and continued, "You mean the absolute world to me and nothing else matters quite as much as you. I've tried for years to stop loving you; to hide my feelings and run as far away from the truth as I can because that's what I do. It doesn't matter how far I run, all roads lead back to you Em. When I looked at you, it didn't matter what kind of trouble we all were in, I felt completely safe; just in those chocolate eyes," she smiled giddily and I was blushing uncontrollably. "You give me a reason and that's all anyone could ever hope for in this life. I don't wanna run anymore," she said and then pulled the box from behind her back. It was a tiny, wooden, ivory box with a golden latch that rested comfortably between her palms. She opened it, never once taking her eyes off of me while I gaped in awe at what was happening. In it there was a satin pillow with pearl and ribbon inside that cushioned a spectacular, antique diamond ring.

"Ali…" I whispered.

"It's my grandmother's. She gave it to me before died. She said that it was worth a hell of a lot and that it had been passed down for generations among the men and their wives in our family. Obviously, she couldn't give it to Jason and she told me that there was no one else she would rather have wear it than me. The ring signifies strength and courage and all that good stuff but the person to wear it must have a wonderful heart. I thought she was bat crazy at the time to give it to me but… I wanna think that she knew it would end up with you somehow. I told her about you… I could never stop gushing about how amazingly sweet and soft hearted you were. My grandmother was the only person I ever shared my feelings about you to. I think she wanted you to have this Em," her eyes were filled with tears but they never fell; they only made her blue orbs glisten.

"I – I don't know what to say…" I stammered completely blown away.

She giggled, "I haven't asked you anything yet… But… I want to… Emily Catherine Fields…"

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No more games, no more running, no more lies. If you would have me, I would love more than anything to marry you… So what do you say?"

…

…

…

I was completely speechless and she motioned me with her eyebrows to answer. As I parted my lips to say the word, there was a loud explosion outside that rocked the entire neighbourhood. Ali dropped the ring and we both threw on some robes and bolted down the stairs to see what was going on.

My house was blown to bits and the high flames illuminated the other houses in the street. People flooded the streets gawking at the magnificent sight. There was a reddish-gold glow that shimmered across everyone's face and I was mortified. I slumped down in tears and Ali covered me with her arms. Thank God my mother was out of town because there was no way she'd survive that blast. By the time the fire truck arrived, my entire house was reduced to charcoal and scrap metal. I sat aimlessly in the street and my blonde stuck beside me.

The others arrived soon after and was as speechless as everyone else. This was a heck of a coincidence and my first thought was that this had to have been 'A'. It was either that or God sending a hell of a sign not to marry Alison.


	36. Chapter 36 - Beautiful Nightmare

A 'clank!'- The iron parting bone, blood, flesh, stone. It bangs, he screams, it bangs, he screams, it bangs and then he's silent. The entire floor throbbing in searing pain but he no longer feels it. I feel it; in my hands and they grip the blood-spattered axe – it's completely bloody and so am I. There is so much of it on me that I start believing its part of my skin; I can taste the metallic tang and sting of his death. All I see is red and the blackness of the woods egging me on to kill, kill, kill. I'm practically stuck in a loop of assault and I watch as my hands deliver never ending blows to a lifeless corpse. Each time I blink, in paranoia, I see him flinch as if he just wouldn't die, so I drop the axe tirelessly.

"Em!" Ali yells over and over and her blue orbs are dripping tears. She looks at me like I'm a monster but I go right back to doing it.

I feel a rough shake followed by her screaming my name again and it's enough to bring me from my horrible dream and back to reality; to frightened cobalt eyes. My hands were shaking but they firmly wrapped around her throat. I retracted them swiftly as I realised that I was hurting her.

"God! Ali!" was all I could squeeze out before I was completely taken over by tears. I hopped off the bed and backed myself into the corner of her bedroom with my hands outstretched. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeated the phrase in a devastating cycle as I broke down.

Alison was coughing and rubbing her neck clearly in discomfort and I could barely look at her now. _What the hell is wrong with me_? She got off the bed and the fear and distress quickly fleeted from her eyes that were now filled with concern.

"Em," she said softly as she approached me but I moved away; a part of me afraid that I would hurt her again.

"A-Ali…" I was lost for an apology, lost for words.

"Baby, its ok… you were just having a nightmare," she placed her hands on my shoulders, "look at me Emily." But I couldn't. I was afraid to see the marks that I was sure would be visible by then on her throat.

"I can't," I cried meekly and she forced me to. I felt so ashamed of myself but she kissed me; kissed it all away and then pulled me into her for a sweet and constricted embrace. My body shook while fell apart crying in her arms.

"It's ok… it's ok…" she repeated as she glided her palms along my back.

Alison walked us back to bed and pulled the cover over me. She positioned me so that my head laid on her chest and I could listen to her heart beating. Her nimble fingers stroked my hair and one hand held me close and in place. Soon, again, I was fast asleep.

I woke up a few hours later in the exact same position. Ali was dead asleep so I eased myself from her hold and headed for the bathroom. Frozen at the mirror, I looked at the reflection and still, I couldn't recognize myself – the murderer, the abusive girlfriend, the liar, the adulterer. Who the hell have I become?

Weirdly enough, my mind flashed to thoughts of my father and what he would think of me. I looked down and could feel the fullness of tears behind my lids. I looked back up again to brown beautiful eyes and a sharply defined jawline that had been clench for God knows how long. I watched at the jet black tresses of hair that cascaded over my shoulders and I pulled it back; wrapping it into a lazy bun.

I heard Alison stirring in the other room and I was brought back to my consciousness. As I entered her bedroom, I saw the blond goddess stretched out fully on the bed. And it was so easily that I was reminded that what I did and who I am was all for her – for the unending love I have. I would do it all over again if it was to keep her safe because she was my everything and there was no life without Alison Dilaurentis. My dad would have been _damn_ proud of me.

"Hey," she sleepily said and wiped her eyes clear.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes," I repeated, still standing at the foot of her bed.

"Yes?" she /leapt with excitement when she finally understood what I was talking about and rushed to scatter me with kisses, "you'll marry me?!" I giggled beneath her smooching and wrapped my arms around my adorable blonde.

"Wait, were you actually worried that I would say no?" I asked teasingly.

"Of course I was," she replied and walked back over to the bed; dragging her fingers along the post, "I mean, I _am_ a lot to handle… A lot of drama seems to follow me… and I don't usually bring out the best in people. Why would anyone want to be tied down to that?" She scrunched her face in disgust.

"You're talking to the girl that almost choked you to death this morning…"

"Exactly, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be having PTSD. You wouldn't have killed a man. I just always f*ck things up, especially with you…" she trailed before I interrupted.

"Alison, I love you and all of your drama. Plus, you aren't the reason all of these bad things happen. That would be A's fault not yours. Don't blame yourself for that. I've wanted nothing more than to have and to hold you since the first day I met you. Marrying you will literally be a dream come true for me and I've had that wonderful dream many many times before. You're amazing Ali, never forget that. If you could only see yourself with my eyes, you would never doubt yourself ever again," I rambled and sat next to her on the bed.

"Thank you," she flashed half a smile – the dimpled one – and then she twiddled her thumbs, "about last night… do you wanna talk about it?"

"I don't…"

"Em, I think you should see someone," she rebutted instantly.

"And say what Ali. T-that I-I killed someone and now I'm choking my girlfriend in her sleep!" I yelled startling her.

"God! Em would you relax?" she questioned in a harsh tone; raising her voice just as high as mine. I have to say, her tone reminded me a lot of the fiery young blonde and it immediately settled me. "I'm only trying to help… You obviously have a problem and we need to take care of it."

"We?"

"Yes, _we_ do." Her tone was softer now and her blue iridescent orbs looked through me like I was completely transparent. "I know you're afraid but I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere; despite my terrible track record."

As Ali spoke, I walked over to the window and watched outside at what was left of my family home. I blinked away the sting of tears that were beginning to form when I felt tiny, vanilla fingers creep around my waist. Alison pressed her body against mine and held me tightly whilst plastering small kisses on my shoulder.

"See… I have bigger things to worry about," I murmured and she just pulled me in tighter.

"I'm so sorry baby," the beautiful blonde comforted me and I allowed myself to take solace in the tenderness of her milky tone.

She turned me around so that I could stare right at her and she lunged her plump lips forward, merging them perfectly with mine. The kiss was sweet and rough but I wasn't sure just how much of a consolidation it was, as oppose to a sexual advance.

I was convinced of the latter when she started tugging at the hem of my pajama shirt and moaning softly into my mouth. Alison is incredibly sexy when she's struggling to control her inclinations to sexually dominate me. She tries so hard to take things slowly but when she gets this worked up, her sexual frustration peaks and if I'm being completely honest, I torture her by slowing things down further.

I stopped kissing the blonde and left her to fully control the kiss. I heard her grunt in response and then she bit the bottom of my lip so hard that it felt like I had been electrocuted. My eyes sprung open and hers were taunting. The little, delicious and wayward smirk of hers snaked its way across her mouth.

I quickly became the aggressor and pushed her onto the bed. She bit her lips as I undressed arbitrarily above her; annoyance and lust in my eyes. She loves when she succeeds in getting me to this point – the point where I want to consume her entirely; pleasing her until neither one of us can move.

"Mmm I love it when you're rough," she purred and I gave her exactly what she wanted.

My nails scraped against her skin as I yanked her shorts off of her body. She was just as excited as I was and she stripped out of her bra just as quickly as I got rid of her bottoms. My knees hit the rug and I started lapping at her soaking goodness – always sweet, always dripping for me.

The noises that escaped Ali's lips, shot through me like glass cutting me down to needing to feel her hands on my body just as badly as she wanted me to make her cum. I felt the hot desire pooling in my stomach as I licked, sucked, and devoured her centre. Her legs were trembling and wrapped securely around my head. I felt her hands take a handful of my hair and pulled me up needing a break from the agonizing pleasure. She was panting uncontrollably with her eyes closed tightly.

I could have given her time to collect herself but that wouldn't be much fun, now would it? She raised up off of the bed when I plunged my fingers into her. Her arms draped around me and I struggled to balance us once more. The fair flesh of her neck caught my attention as she tossed her head back; blonde curls dancing above the messy bed-spread and I bit into her pulse point, all the while, my fingers were busy bringing her closer and closer to that sweet release. She moaned so loudly that I almost thought of stopping. I was certain that her aunt heard her that time but I knew she was so close that pulling out would have been one of the most malicious acts someone could have ever committed.

"Oh fuck! Emily please don't stop baby," she mumbled against my forehead and I sped up my rhythm pulling high-pitched gasps out of her and then she came – mouth in that sultry 'O' shape, hair snapping forward with her body as she held onto me for dear life. I kept going while she rode out her orgasm and at the end, she was in tears. _And I mean blubbering tears_.

I kissed her cheek and all over her face trying to calm her down. Her body spasm lightly for a few seconds until she was fast asleep; not opening her eyes once. _That had to have been the most intense orgasm for her._ I must admit, I was a bit jealous but the satisfied look on my blonde made me grin giddily. I curled up beside her and drifted off to sleep again.


	37. Chapter 37 - Ready or Not

There were two loud thuds on the bedroom door followed by Mary calling out, "Alison, Ali sweety!" But the very sleepy blonde appeared dead to the world. I shot up and hesitated right at the handle of the door questioning if I should open it or ignore her aunt's call. I figured that not answering the door would only make her worry and probably charge in anyways so I opened it slightly as not to reveal the nude vanilla-shade of soft skin that poked out from beneath the dishevelled pink sheets.

"Umm… Hi. Ali's asleep. I'm sorry, uhh, I know she isn't supposed to have visitors and I'm really sorry that we didn't inform you that I came over but…"

"Sweety," she looked at me with pity, that look reminded me so much of Mrs D's, "you girls weren't that quiet. I was much informed by the very thin walls in this old house." She half smirked holding back a laugh.

I flushed entirely red and my eyes glued themselves to the hard-wood floor.

"Would you be a dear and wake Alison, she has a few guests downstairs… you know, since we're doing that now," Mary teased and I folded my lips feeling extremely embarrassed.

I shyly shot the door and walked over to Ali, who was still fast asleep. The blonde had strands of golden hair tousled sweetly across the side of her face and her curves left salacious mounds along the duvet. I traced an index finger from the little rise at her feet, up to her sensual hips until I arrived at her shoulder. Bending above her, I placed a solid kiss against her temple and was then rewarded with a groan of aggravation.

"You gotta get up baby."

"Mmm, no, please…"

"Ali… people are downstairs to see you. And your aunt… well, she found out I was here this whole time..."

She huffed and opened a pair of sleepy blue orbs that never ever seem to lose any beauty, no matter the circumstance. I stepped back to get a better view of her complete exquisiteness and thought to myself that genes like that, had to be continued for many generations – it's basically a blessing to the world to have allure, like that, walking amongst us.

"How are you so beautiful all of the time?" I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes in mock annoyance.

"Well, I had a really amazing night," she winked and stretched her limber arms towards me. She had this undeniable pull about her that was simply irresistible at times – like that moment. Subtle, dimpled smile with flirty cobalt eyes and those luscious blonde tresses was all it took to send a simple brunette, such as myself, ablaze, instantly.

"Ali," I whispered softly, trying to deter her advances, "you have visitors."

"Ughh, okay, but… promise I can have you later?" she pouted and stood up, stretching out her cramped limbs.

Alison and I both made our way down the stairs and into the living room where a familiar set of faces lit up with teasing, yet surprised smiles at us. We brushed passed the awkwardness and took a seat next to the guests; blushing bright red.

"Oh!" Hanna exclaimed looking at me with devilish smile, "this is why I haven't heard from you."

"Oh God," I slapped my hand over my face while Alison rubbed my back. She was looking at me with doe eyes and I could tell that maybe she wanted to tell the girls about our engagement. I hadn't yet put on the ring itself. Before Ali could utter a word, Aria cut her off.

"So guys, we have some news," she looked worriedly at Ali and I and then the other girls.

"It's not good," Hanna offered and reached a hand to my knee. There expressions were so odd and extreme that my heart instantly started pounding in my chest. I shot Ali a quick look only to find her looking anxiously back at me.

"If you guys had been watching the news, you'd be a lot more concerned right now" Spencer stated wiping a beads of sweat from her brow. Whenever she got nervous, Spencer would do one of two things, completely shut down from reality, or sweat uncontrollably. As seconds went by, I was becoming more and more unsettled and I could tell by the tight grip Alison had on my arm that she felt the same.

"Would you guys just tell us what's going on?" Ali stated abruptly.

"They found the car," Aria replied and then quickly covered her mouth as though she had just sworn in front of a church congregation.

"Shhh!" Alison replied with wide, agitated blue eyes, "… Let's go to my room."

We all traipsed behind Alison in that synonymous single-file line just the way we use to years ago. When we got to the room, we even sat in the exact same position we usually did whenever Alison was telling us about some 'no good' scheme she was planning. It was all very nostalgic but I had no time to even appreciate the parallels because I was internally screaming at the fact that I could possibly be going to jail, once again.

"Toby told me that they received an anonymous tip that there was a sunken car in the middle of the old woods lake. It took them a few hours to retrieve it and it was immediately identified as Rollins'…" she looked at her phone which had just vibrated in her hand, "… Guys the police are on their way over."

"What should we do?" Aria.

"I say we make a run for it," Hanna searched our expressions for a reaction and we all fell silent.

"That's a bad idea… It'll only make you guys seem more suspicious," Spencer replied.

"Guys I don't know," I said completely spooked by the entire situation, "I can't stay here… I can't go to jail…" I started backing away towards the window when Ali stood to grab hold of me.

"Emily…" she tried recapturing my attention, "Em, look at me… you're not going to jail, okay. We're in this together. Let's make a run for it…"

"Are you guys nuts?" Spencer asked and Aria was already in tears. The situation had so quickly spun out of control showing no signs of calming. Alison started packing up whatever she could find and I rushed downstairs to the kitchen to get most of the essentials we may need.

"Guys we can't run, I have my mum's campaign, Aria still has her book, Hanna has the hotel, our parents…" Spencer rambled.

"You guys don't have to come!" Ali shouted, "We can't stay here."

"What exactly are you guys planning because you have no money, where are you gonna sleep?" she continued.

"You don't get it do you? Emily and I killed a man and pushed the car into the lake," Alison spoke over her.

The room fell silent and by that time we were all set with what we needed, well, what we could carry. The girls hugged us tightly and then we shared one last big group hug.

"You guys are really doing this?" Hanna said with tears swelling in her eyes.

"We have to Han," I spoke with a cracked voice, "maybe we'll figure a way to fix this, you guys have to help us fix this and then we can come back."

Our phones all chimed with notifications from an anonymous number – quite a sickening feeling it cause amongst us all, collectively.

 _ **Knock knock little wolves,**_

 _ **The pigs are coming ;)**_

 _ **\- A**_

"You have got to be kidding me," Alison said killing the stifling silence.

"This can't be happening," Aria said looking around frantically.

The others were still in shock with glued eyes on their phones. I part of me felt it coming – of course we didn't kill 'A'. Elliott was probably just another stepping stone for this sick and twisted individual.

"I – I refuse to accept this," Spencer muttered; flawed by the circumstance.

"Ali," I looked at the blonde, "we have to go."

We decided to pass out through the window and Alison slid a note beneath her aunt's door. All five of us climbed down the sturdy structure, or so I thought. When I looked up, Alison still hadn't come out.

"Ali what the hell are you doing?!" I questioned.

I saw the blue and red lights illuminating the adjacent street from ours and we started panicking. Alison still hadn't poked her head out by then.

"Dammit Ali! What are you doing?"

"I just have to get something,"

Two police cars pulled up into our street and we ducked behind the bushes. I don't think I had ever been that scared before, especially for the blonde. I knew that if she got caught, I wouldn't be able to leave her behind.

"Ali come on!" I shouted up; barely above the sirens and soon after the blonde came quickly down to me.

We took down the street passing our houses one by one. I hesitated at mine, well, what was left of it, and the others slowed noticing my halt. The black, ashy remnants of my childhood laid grimly before my eyes and with every little gust of Rosewood wind, pieces of my home blow away in a dust-like form.

"Em," Ali whispered placing a hand on my shoulder. I took a couple steps towards my home with light tears welled up in my eyes. Stepping cautiously over the charred remains, I noticed the tiny pendant that initially caught my attention. It was an old family heirloom that belonged to my father's great grandmother – he gave it to my mom on their wedding day. Although it was made from scrap metal and dipped in gold; essentially worthless, it meant the world to my family, especially my mom.

The heat from the fire dented the material slightly but it was still intact. I picked it up and shoved it into my jacket pocket then headed back to the girls. It only took us a few minutes to arrive at the Rosewood bus stop. There was one bus getting ready to leave but waited when the driver saw five gorgeous girls running frantically towards him.

"Guys I don't know about this," Spencer's voice strained to say as she watched the characters on the bus and then looked at us.

"Spence…" I whispered; silently explaining with my eyes.

"I love you guys," Hanna hugged Ali and I.

"We love you," Aria added and we all hugged one another before the annoyed driver beckoned us to hurry or be left behind.

"We'll see you," Ali said; her eyes full of water and she entered the bus.

When I turned to leave, Hanna grabbed my hand in one final, soundless, plea to stay. I reluctantly pulled away from her grasp and enter the bus, taking a seat next to the blonde. Ali and I watched as the girls become specs and then they vanished from view as we left Rosewood in the dust.

We had little clothes, little money but we were confident that something would work out. Our first priority was getting out of Rosewood and then taking a couple more buses until we were sure no one would have a clue where we were. Alison rested her forehead against the glass in the most melancholy way and I fixed my arm over her shoulders drawing a faint smile from her lips.

"It's gonna be okay, Ali," I said quietly and kissed her cheek.

"I hope so," she frowned and looked out the window again.

We drove for miles and miles until Ali and I drifted off to sleep. I had the sweetest dream – that we were getting married in Paris and Alison couldn't stop crying. Even with mascara running, she was still the most breath-taking sight to behold. Dressed in that innocent white gown; the perfect reflection of the way I see her – my angel. Before I could say "I do" the coarse brakes of the bus squawked waking all sleeping passengers.

I looked up and out the window unto a dusty road; scattered slightly with local businesses. The blonde woke soon after and groggily grabbed up her bags. I looked in her eyes hoping to see some strength in her – I needed to see some strength in her because I was feeling as though we were far from prepared for what we were about to face.

Stepping off the bus, our cells chimed. It was an anonymous message but we both knew instantly where it was from.

 _ **Run all you want. You won't be able to hide from me Here I come bitchez!**_

 _ **-A**_


	38. Chapter 38 - On The Run

Alison swung her overnight bag over her shoulder and took the first few steps into the tiny town. I shadowed closely behind the blonde wanting badly to grasp her hand. These days, one can't be too certain about the social views of towns like this one – many of them still being homophobic and we had ample problems as it was.

"Let's go in there," Alison muttered with little emotion in her voice. We were both drained and really needed to find a good motel to recuperate and plan our next steps.

"Ali, do you really think we need to be drinking right now?" I asked curious as to why she wanted to go into a dingy, old bar.

"I was thinking that maybe someone in there could point us in the direction of a motel nearby," she replied and headed towards the bar. It was mostly wooden like in those old Western movies. In fact the entire town seemed a bit isolated from the rest of the country. The sign on the door read ' _McGregors';_ illuminated meekly with neon red blinking lights.

As we entered the bar, we were slapped with a blast of old country music which I knew my little blonde would appreciate. I on the other hand was distracted by the putrid smell – a cocktail of drunkards, vomit, and a dash of stale urine – coming from what I hoped was the bathroom area. Still behind the blonde, I watched as she approached a man propped against a bar stool. He was wafer-thin and significantly taller than Alison, wearing tight jeans and a leather jacket with the word 'Broomy' stitched across the back. He was moderately handsome and clean-cut; in a young cowboy slash delinquent kind of way and immediately as his eyes caught Alison advancing, they took on a look of desire which initially upset me.

"Hi," she said in a high-pitched, flirty tone – a tone that was usually only reserved for me. That same tone would always help Alison get her way in any situation in the past.

The man flashed a crooked smile and stood straight, towering over her. My fists were clenched firmly as I watched him make subtle moves on the blonde, who played entirely oblivious. The music was too loud for me to hear everything she said to him and he seemed to not even care about what she had to say. He only looked at her curvy physique and how tightly her clothes hugged her attractive shape. Sliding his index finger from her shoulder along her arm, he put his lips to Ali's ear and whispered something to her and I could tell by the scornful look on her face that it was something crude. That was enough to trigger me. I walked up to them with eyes blazing in irritation.

"What did you just say to her?" I barked above the music capturing people's attention.

"Emily relax, it's no big deal," Alison said placing her hands on my shoulders with just enough pressure to restrict me from getting up in that sleazy bastard's smug little face.

"Tell me what he said to you," I directed to her in a grim tone and instantly, she knew that I was passed boiling.

She pulled me aside, while the man stood with a provocative smile strapped to his face. "He umm… He said that he had plenty of room in his bed."

I walked back over to that asshole oozing heat and looked him straight in his bloodshot eyes. He didn't seem at all intimidated but I'm certain he noticed that neither was I. I stood unshaken and his stubbled jaw worked its way into a taunting grin. Mine was clenched and I was seething with the thought of Alison being in a place like this without me, and this jerk possibly taking advantage of her. I don't know why that thought came into my head; maybe I was tired of everyone taking advantage of her, of all of us, and this poor bastard was about to pay for all of it.

"Does she look like some trailer trash, cowboy riding, slut to you?" I growled and shoved him backwards. The push wasn't as violent as it ought to have been because he didn't seem fazed by it, in fact, he continued smiling foolishly. The bustling of the bar ceased and we were given all attention.

He took his eyes off of me and looked over at Alison, his grin now wider, further mocking the entire situation. "Mmm nope, she looks simply delicious to me darlin' … You on the other hand," he said as he looked me up and down, then inhaled my scent perversely, "you like a stuck up little bitch! But I'm sure I can change that…" He said and grabbed his crotch.

I scoffed and really almost laughed at how ridiculous this character was. I looked back at Alison who looked worried out of her mind – big blue eyes beckoning for me to just walk away but she knew better.

"Can you believe this douche?" I muttered to her.

"Aww come on darlin' your friend here has no problem with me. In fact, she looks like she can handle a really big d…" he said unable to finish his sentence – cut off by the force of my knuckles crashing against his bottom lip.

The punch left him staggering for balance and all eyes were on me. _So much for keeping a low profile._ He rose up with a bloody lip and rage in his eyes, and for a second I swore he was going to put his hands on me but by then, Alison was standing between us pushing me away whilst two men held back the guy.

"You little whore!" he yelled and struggled with the men restraining him.

Alison managed to shove me out the door, away from the commotion. She took my reddened fist, inspecting it with pitiful eyes. My hand was pulled to her lips and she gently kissed it causing me to wince at the sting.

"Em… did you really have to punch the guy?" she smiled and I laughed as we drifted down the stairs.

"I hated the way he spoke to you… and then he put his filthy hand on you," I rolled my eyes and pulled Alison close, "I don't care who it is or where we are, no one's ever gonna disrespect you like that in front of me… ever."

Alison's eyes glistened as she looked deeply into mine. I could tell that she felt a sense of protection and she was absolutely right to feel that way because I would do anything to protect my blonde. I on the other hand, felt quite valiant, punching out a complete stranger for my girl. I was proud of my stinging fist, although it ached like hell.

"Hey!" A young woman came running up to us from the bar. Alison and I both spun around simultaneously to face the approaching figure.

"Heard you gals were looking for a motel?" she asked with a thick country accent and raised a brow waiting for us to respond, "My family owns one of the best spots in town." Alison and I looked at each other and then back at the woman.

"My name's Marybeth," she extended a hand to me, "I can take you to the motel and get you both settled in if you're interested."

We agreed and followed Marybeth to her pick-truck. It was a royal blue, Chevrolet Colorado. Ali and I clambered into the back seats and we took off further into the little town. The ride was relatively bumpy and apart from the pile of boxes in Marybeth's trunk shifting, the drive was fairly quiet. Alison stared out the window – it was becoming a habit for the blonde – and I was sensing her discomfort with this entire situation. Despite her silence, I could almost hear her uncertainty ripping through the air.

"So…" Marybeth filled the awkward silence, "what's a couple of outsiders, such as yourselves, doing in our little town… punching out the scumbags of the neighbourhood?" She had a beautiful smile and was quite cute with two long red-head pigtails in her hair. Marybeth could not have been that much older than we were yet she seemed very immature in a sweet and innocent kind of way which made us trust her immediately as she spoke.

"We… umm… we're just passing through," I replied and squeezed Alison's hand growing sick of her aloofness.

"How much further?" Ali asked out of nowhere.

"Oh we're almost there," she spun around and smiled as we all bounced up and down with the uneven roads.

She wasn't lying. We soon pulled into the motel car park. The place looked nice, well as nice as motels go. We entered behind Marybeth and after checking in, she led us to our room. I was initially impressed with how clean and tastefully designed the place was.

"Well, I hope you girls have a wonderful stay. The front-desk has my contact if you need anything, at all," she stated sweetly and unlocked the door handing Alison the key afterward. She and I locked up and dropped our things on the floor beside the bed.

"I'm gonna take a shower," I stated and walked coldly into the bathroom. Things seemed so weird, like we couldn't connect for some reason. Alison certainly was acting remote and I just didn't have the strength to put up with it so I chucked it up to cold feet – about running away. Alison subtly looked over her shoulder as I exited the room.

As I got in, I looked at my pale face and the two heavy bags resting easily beneath my eyes. The amount of stress we had been experiencing was way beyond what we could bare. I stared into the chocolate pools that were ogling judgmentally back at me. I wondered if it would be easier to just give up; to stop running and fighting and just let this A person do whatever the hell he/she wanted. God I was so tired of feeling helpless, especially where Alison was concerned – tired of seeing the terrifying look on her face whenever this twisted individual toyed with the five of us.

I reflexively opened the medicine cabinet and blankly observed its contents. A pair of toothbrushes, floss, a half crushed toothpaste tube, and to the back of the cabinet sat a lonely bottle of pills. I prayed hard for it to be some sort of anti-depressant or at least something that would knock me out for the night because I couldn't picture myself getting any sort of sleep unless I was heavily sedated. I reached in with a sudden burst of energy; clawing at the fastened bottle. The label read Fentanyl – I remembered reading somewhere that they were one of the most addictive pain killers of today. I popped two in quickly; thickly swallowing the tiny capsules when I heard the door being pushed open.

"Hey," Alison waltz in with a droopy look in her eyes. I could tell that she needed comforting and the knowledge of having the extra ammo working behind the scenes, made me unconfident that I would be able to handle pleasing the beautiful blonde. Nonetheless, I advanced in faith that the pills wouldn't kick in until after we settled in bed.

"Hi," I purred and pulled her close as if we were about to commence a slow dance. In a way, we were.

"Em…" she took the tone I grew to associate with her desire to be held and pleased.

I kissed her hungrily, needing just as much to feel her as she wanted to feel me. Her arms worked their way into a loop behind my neck as she deepened the kiss; slipping her tongue further into my mouth. I sighed against her soft lips as we clashed for dominance; her of course succeeding. Alison had a very big appetite and I was more than fervent to gratify the blonde.

I undressed her slowly; taking her shirt off first. Her golden curls reacted exquisitely with every shift she made. Her skin was heated and smooth, and I couldn't wait to get her in the shower with me. With her still attached to my lips, I undressed myself quickly; much to the delight of the impatient beauty.

Alison gasped when I squeezed her ass with one hand whilst the other fondled her needy breast – the nipple swollen with want. I took it into my mouth and she inhaled sharply then gripped a strong fist full of brunette hair and with her other hand, held onto the sink. Her right leg wrapped around my hips allowing me to press my mid-section against her core and I grinded against her wetness evoking muffled moans.

"God Emily," she cried out softly.

"Do you want more?" I asked already knowing the answer; knowing exactly where and how she wanted it.

I forced the shower on and allowed the warm water to surround her first. It invasively covered her dry areas in the most sensual way. Her golden mane fell flat against her skin and I had to stop to take it all in. I gaped with parted lips as trains of water streamed along vanilla limbs; crossing haphazardly, breaking and re-joining. Her small hands cleared a momentary path of dry skin as she scraped her face clean, only for it to be covered again by continuous flowing water. Oh, she was a sight for sore eyes – so beautiful at times that it actually, physically hurt. She finally opened her eyes, her languid eyelashes of velvet-black blinked once slowly, as if to invite me closer.

Biting hard into the bait, I pinned the blonde's salacious body at the hip; slightly leaning my upper-body backwards so that I could look into her eyes. Alison's eyes were a topic to never run cold. They were like burning sapphire gems melted into snow. I could get lost in them for as long as she'd have me. She bounced them between my lips and my wanting eyes and suddenly, I couldn't delay any longer. We kissed – hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. Our senses were equally seduced in the careless clash.

Alison lunged a torrid hand towards my centre and wasted no time in slipping two fingers into my needy folds. I moaned shallowly, still connected to the kiss. She took my hand and slapped it uncaringly against her breast and squeezed on my behalf with her hand shadowing mine. Her fingers worked tirelessly at my clit, drawing a million tiny circles on the enlarged nub. The sensation travelled in channels around my entire body and I pulled from her lips, tossing my head backwards.

She was so pleased with the control she had over my body and it almost made me jealous so much so that I needed to affect her also. I groped her chest, simultaneously rubbing her nipple – she was such a lover of boob-play. She bit her lips trying desperately to focus on pleasuring me. I watched as her brows furrowed in concentration, she was so adorable but I wanted control now. Ali was extremely good at all things 'Emily', she knew just how to get me off quickly and I was dreadfully close to coming around her nimble fingers – I had to slow her down.

Dipping to my knees, I pulled her legs over my shoulders. The cold tiles cushioned her ass before I forced my left hand between her cheeks and the wall; pulling her closer to my lips with my right hand fastening her leg in place. Her back arched to its limit and her eyes fluttered closed in what I could imagine was extreme fulfilment. I lapped at her heated folds; suckling her most sensitive spot and be rewarded with loud moans with the occasional swearing. She came quickly, squirting all over my face; her fluids mixing in with the shower and it fell over my body. She buckled until she was at my level, heaving in exhaustion.

"Good God Emily," was all she said. The wall held her up as she regained her breath.

"How are you so perfect?" I asked rhetorically and she flashed a tired but genuine smile.

"I was so close to making you cum. Why did you stop me?" she asked nonchalantly with her eyes still shut.

I laughed, ignoring her question and pulled her into my body. We were both, now, sitting on the floor with the water vibrating around us. I caressed her flushed cheek with my thumb and she opened her eyes. I could tell that she loved me, just by that look alone – maybe it was just the paralyzing orgasm. She kissed me sweetly and cupped my wet core; leisurely entering me. I inhaled tenderly, fully enjoying the unhurried pace of her work. She lowered her head to my breast and sucked on the nipple while she continued at the same, torturous pace. A naughty smile plastered my face and I heard her lightly giggle – she loved being a big tease as much as anything.

"You like it when I tease you, don't you?" she stopped sucking to ask.

"Y-yes… I do," I whispered with shortened breath, "please, keep it like this."

"I love you Em," she stated and returned to my boob.

I orgasmed within a minute after; seizing in her arms. God it was so intense that I'm sure it probably surprized her. She held tightly unto my body as I jerked rhythmically, riding it out. I calmed and allowed her to hold unto me for as long as she wanted. My long, tanned body stretched out along the tiny blonde.

"We should probably get out of here," she said, motioning me to stand.

"I wanna get into bed," I turning my head to look up at her.

We finished our bath and slid under warm, surprisingly comfortable sheets. I spooned the blonde with an arm sealing her against my frame. She nuzzled into me as close as matter would allow.

"Good night Bonnie," I teased and she turned around to watch me, puzzled.

"Umm what?" she giggled childishly. It was the sweetest sound I had ever heard.

"You know from Bonnie and Clyde… You're my Bonnie, babe," I kissed her head and smiled peacefully. I heard a silent and contented sigh from the blonde and soon she fell asleep. I followed soon after as the pills finally kicked in.


	39. Chapter 39 - A Wolf In A Red Truck

I woke up around 3:30 AM, sticky and drenched in sweat. The room was dimly illuminated by the moonlight and quite a few twinkling stars that scattered the ominous skyline. It was a bit hypnotizing as I gazed through the small window we'd left cracked open for fresh country air, however, my darling stole my attention soon after – as she always does. Ali rested peacefully to the left of me, I couldn't help but draw the blonde strands of hair from hiding her beautiful face and of course, that led to me peppering her porcelain skin with kisses; light enough as not to wake her. Realising that I had no shot of falling back to sleep, I opted for some early morning TV – they didn't have cable but I mean how terrible could it be. Oh great! Reruns of 'Friends' – that's not too bad, I actually enjoyed watching it on the off occasion that CSI wasn't on.

The glare made Ali stir and not long after her slender figure joined mine on the two-seat couch that faced the television set. Her eyes were squinted in the presence of peeping sapphire irises. With pink, pouted lips, she kissed my cheek and snugged into my side. I smiled, breathing in her blueberry perfume that was mixed in perfectly with the unnaturally saccharine aroma that was all Ali.

"I'm sorry I woke you," I whispered into her hair and pressed a kiss against her head.

"You know I can't sleep if you're not next to me," she replied, her voice like a pot of warm honey.

"Yeah, sure," I teased and earned a laugh.

"Why are you up so early, Em?"

"It's nothing," I deadpanned and continued watching the TV.

The blonde didn't buy into to my coolly response for a second. She proceeded to untangle herself from my arms and glared burning blue orbs at me. Her stare was so penetrating that it started scorching a hole into the side of my face and when she recognized that I was paying her no mind, she climbed on top of me; straddling my body until I was forced to leer up at her.

"What are you doing," I laughed and wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.

"Tell me what's wrong," she demanded comically.

"Or what?" I teased and palmed her ass firmly causing her to squirm on top of me. All of her wiggling was quickly becoming unbearable. I started feeling my own wetness pool between my legs and that familiar pulse-like thud within my folds.

"I'm not gonna have sex with you unless you tell me," she whispered into my ear and the heat of her breath did unspeakable things to my core. While she spoke, her hands slid unnoticeably over my underwear and she gave it a tight squeeze causing me to moan quietly against her shoulder.

"You k-know…" I stammered, "Sex isn't… a bargaining tool" I pulled her hands away from my now soaking panties and held it between us, gripping it firmly, just enough to hurt and yet still feel pleasurable to Alison. She was always a sucker for pain.

She bit her thick lips and looked tantalizingly at me. We sat still for a good few seconds – the silence was deafening while our eyes screamed at each other. It was like the entire world stood still while we just gawked into one another. It was soundless. And then she smirked out of the corner of her naughty mouth – the smirk with the dimple. It wasn't long before we were all over each other – disturbing the peace that fell over the tiny town.

We pulled and tugged at one another in a breathless, airless, careless and visceral way. Moans filled the quaint yet tastefully designed room and we probably should have closed that window but the way Ali was grinding against me and rubbing all parts of my body got the better of my judgement. She was all over me like I was covered in chocolate. My skin bore slight red marks and indentations that were being cooled by the wetness her tongue left behind and Oh God it felt amazing.

I felt my stomach tightening and she hadn't even started yet. I had enough and grabbed a fistful of her blonde curls, drawing her head back which exposed a lovely piece of vanilla skin. I sunk my teeth into her and her body jolted forward with a loud moan. Stripping her of her T-shirt, I was met with her full and very firm breasts. I squeezed them both with hungry, open palms, making sure to pinch the nipples between my middle and forefinger. She couldn't sit still no matter if she'd tried and her body danced to ever advance I threw forward.

"Em," she quietly moaned.

"Yes baby," I whispered against her lips.

"Make me come."

Nimble fingers worked their way over the mound between her trembling legs and into deliciously soaking folds. Her head rested aimlessly in the crook of my neck while I played with her pounding clit, mimicking the motions I knew she loved. I teased and teased until she bit my neck growing impatient. I hissed then gave the wayward blonde what she wanted.

I 'come-hithered' the shit out of her pussy until she fell over me like an exhausted child after a long, long day at school. We were both sweating and stuck to each other; breathing in synchronicity. When she caught up with her breath, she turned her head to my shoulder and kissed it, smiling from the residual rush of endorphins through her body.

"I love you Emily Fields," she breathed out. I just smiled and rubbed her back. "How is it that right after I say I'm not having sex with you, I end up have sex with you?"

I laughed and said, "You're not that hard to persuade."

"Oh really?" she sat up amused and started tickling me. FYI: my tickle spots are HELLA SENSITIVE and Alison new exactly where they were. I was a screaming, bucking disarray while she tortured my body with her wild assault. I squirmed so much that we both ended up falling off the couch and I crawled my way back to bed.

"Ok! aha Ok! haha" I begged with arms stretched out in pathetic defence, "Please Ali haha, please stop… I can't haha, take it!"

"Alright," she smiled cockily and fell beside me on the bed. I rested my back against the head rest and Alison lay flat at my hip. "Are you gonna tell me what's bothering you?" Alison asked disengaged, as if she was trying deliberately to avoid pressuring me to talk _while pressuring me to talk_.

"Well if you're gonna tickle me like that if I don't then I guess I have to," I smiled and slid down so that I was on the same level as she was. "But can we talk about this later, please?"

"Of course," she sweetly smiled that innocent smile, the smile from the library and the kissing rock. That cafeteria smile whenever we were gossiping, that smile whenever she looked up in the stands and saw me cheering her on. That smile before all of our lives turned completely upside down.

"I love you Ali. I don't think I can ever stop loving you because it just runs so deep. I love everything about you and how you've grown from that sexy, flirty naughty girl to this beautiful, open-hearted, wonderfully caring person. And I don't know how but I've always seen this side of you, even when you couldn't. You have no idea how much you mean to me Alison. I would do anything for you," I pledged and my eyes welled up with water.

"Aww baby don't cry," she wiped away the drop that escaped my lids.

"I'm sorry," I giggled, "it's just… you make me feel so… so…" my mind was swooning.

"I know what you mean. I feel exactly the way you feel."

"You do?"

"I put that rock on your finger, didn't I?" she grinned and kissed my lips softly.

I left the bed and made my way into the bathroom. I went to get the family pendant so that I could give it to her. I wanted to wait for a perfect set-up to present her with my proposal but I just couldn't wait any longer. I was feeling all of these feelings and I didn't know if it's because we were out on our own and it felt like we were actually living together like a married couple or because I was hopped up on the hormones.

As I was practicing my lines – as if my little speech from before wasn't perfectly crafted enough, I heard Ali shout something from beyond the bathroom door.

"What!?" I yelled for her to repeat.

…..

"Baby I can't hear you!"

"We have to get out of her now, Em!" she shouted again.

I burst out of the bathroom in haste with wide brown eyes inspecting the bustling blonde. She had stuffed all of our things into our bags and was in the middle of putting clothes on.

"What's going on?" I asked whilst walking over hesitantly and getting dressed. She tossed me her phone that had a message written above a picture. As I looked closer, I saw that it was from an unknown number and that was enough to make my stomach turn. I scrolled down slowly, almost like I was trying to preserve the time before the shit hit the fan, _so to speak._

It was a picture of Alison and me asleep. The way the picture was taken, the person had to have been standing over our bed whilst we slept. My heart started racing immediately and I grasped the phone tightly reading the message.

 _ **Try sleeping in turns next time,**_

 _ **You never know whose coming.**_

 _ **I'm onto you bitchez!**_

I dropped the phone on the bed and without a word, I started helping Alison. Soon after, we were banging on Marybeth's door. She came out in pyjamas, rubbing her eyes with her hair wrapped up in a head-tie.

"Do you guys always wake up this early?" she smiled, still half asleep. When she saw our faces and how seriously agitated we looked, her demeanour changed. "What's got you ladies spooked?"

"We need a ride," Ali said anxiously and adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder.

"Y'all don't look like you're coming back. Should I check you ladies out?" She asked as we hurried down the stairs and into Marybeth's truck. The shiny red colour of the vehicle challenged the darkness of early morning and Ali and I clambered in quickly as the girl started the truck up.

"Take this for our stay and probably some gas. We need to get to an airport. Do you think you can help us out?" Ali asked and I looked at her with confusion.

"That's not a problem ladies, I'm happy to help you guys out," she replied and we sped off.

"Why are we heading to an airport and not a bus station, we don't have that kinda money," I sternly whispered to Ali. I had absolutely no idea what she was planning and she made no effort whatsoever to communicate to me. She really isn't the best in panicky situations.

"We're going to New York…"

"What! New York!" I interrupted her mid-sentence and out of the corner of my eye I saw Marybeth looking behind via the rear-view mirror.

"Would you just relax Em?" she looked at me in absolute disgust at my anxiousness. Her eyes then soften as she continued. "I have a friend in New York, I texted him and he said we could use his apartment while he's out of town for as long as we needed it. A has no way of tracking a plane…. Right?"

"A?" Marybeth questioned with her eyes fixed on the road. "Who's that?"

"Wouldn't we like to know," I retorted indignantly at the entire situation. "Not for one day, not one fucking day, will this creep leave us alone!"

"Emily please calm down," Ali said whilst eyeing Marybeth feeling a little embarrass by my arguing.

"This… A person… why does this person want you both dead so badly?" Marybeth said and Ali looked at me with widened eyes.

"What did you say?" Ali asked.

"I said, why does this person want you dead?"

"We never said anything about A wanting us dead," I spoke silencing the talk. She started to sweat and took on a nervous, almost queasy look. The awkwardness fill the truck and in a split second, Marybeth drove off the road and onto a bumpy track that had been surrounded by a thick maze of corn on either side. The track was so unstable that she could barely control the truck. Large rocks in the road caused the tyres to turn every which way and Ali and I rocked around in the back seat like two luggage bags hitting against the roof and the doors of Marybeth's vehicle.

"She's one of them!" Ali shouted and I wrapped my arms around Marybeth's throat causing her to drive into the corn fields. The truck was soon on a skidding course towards a drop and we went right over it, hook, line, and sinker. Ali screamed as the truck flipped consecutively. I opened my eyes to the slow motion play by play of the scene. Shards of glass bombarded us as the metal of the doors and roof started coiling in with the impact of the ground. As it summersaulted over and over, I could see glimpses of the dark, earthy colours of the ground and then the navy blue of the sky like a cruel flip show. We were stopped by the thick, steady trunk of an old oak tree that pinned Marybeth to her seat in a fatal way. My vision blurred out to the faint sounds of groaning from either Ali or Marybeth.

I opened my eyes to find Ali hovering over me. It seemed that she had managed to drag me out of the car. The side of my body felt like it was on fire and when I turned to look, I noticed that I was fine and that the heat was from the truck that was now engulfed in flames. The fire crackled turning a monster of a vehicle into a pathetic colourless heap of metal.

"Marybeth?" I asked with a strained voice and Alison just shook her head with worried eyes.

Luckily we got out with minor scratches and bruises that our clothes could conceivably camouflage if we made it to the airport. I got up and we climbed the hill and managed to find our way back onto the main road. It was about 5am in the morning and there wasn't a car in sight. Fog filled the area and we stumbled bravely through, in hopes of maybe finding another stop or hitching a drop.

"I can't believe this is happening," I murmured and then looked at the blonde for a reaction.

"She must have been the one that took the photo of us…" she replied with an exhausted and empty look in her eyes.

"That means A might not even be in this state. Maybe he/she/it or whatever the fuck, doesn't even know we killed Marybeth… God I sound like Hanna"

"We did not kill that bitch!" Ali yelled and we continued walking.

…..

"We're finally ahead of A," she stated with a slither of hope in her tone.

"I guess so… we need to get out of here… I don't feel safe right now and we literally cannot trust anyone. I'm sure when A tries to contacted Marybeth and she doesn't answer, he'll send one of his minions to find us," I said with my hands reaching for Alison's. She grabbed hold and we quickened of pace.

A couple of minutes after, a banged up Hillman Minx came cruising out of the fog towards us. I started panicking internally because maybe we weren't that far ahead of A. I mean, this person has never been the sloppy type and have been tormenting us for years. They can only get better at this. We started running and the car sped up noticeably. Surely, this had to be one of those freaks. I was thinking of how in the hell I was gonna keep the blonde safe. We couldn't outrun the car and it caught up with us, passed us then stopped along the road.

The door was kicked open in the most portentous way and then the shadow of a tall man came out holding what looked like a gun. Ali and I couldn't see the person's face or anything – blinded by the car's headlights. The man laughed and started walking towards us. We started running in the opposite direction but, honestly, what we've been through, we were so tired and injured that we weren't making much headway.

"Why are you girls running, haha," he said and the smoke from his cigarette joined the fog, intermingling as if it had been there its entire life. "You girls know better than to be out this late. The boogyman could get you ahahaha." He kept walking and the car cruised behind him in reverse suggesting that he wasn't alone.

"Please just leave us alone, please!" Ali screamed.

"Tell A that I'll kill him or her if he lays a finger on Alison. You tell your boss that!" I screamed and then my legs gave out. "Ali… run!"

"No Emmy please… I can't leave you… no, please," she pleaded as the man kept approaching us. I could smell the smoke from his lips as he quickly towered over us. I looked up and then at Ali. Should I beg? Should I take this guy on? I have to protect the blonde!


	40. Chapter 40 - Escape

"You don't have to do this!" Ali screamed and her face was completely covered in red-hot fear.

"What's it gonna be ladies?" he half laughed, half spoke when he said it.

"What do you want from us?!" I said behind gritted teeth, much too exhausted to move or do much of anything really. "Please… do anything you want with me, just leave her alone…"

"No, no Em," she pleaded and squeezed my hand firmly.

The man bellowed a full laugh and wiped the sweat from his brow with the muzzle of his gun then dropped it casually to his side. He took a step back still laughing heartily. His laugh was a loud, repetitious one that drowned out everything else. It was lung buttered as if he had been smoking since his conception.

"Ladies… ladies," he said between his heavy laughter, "what do you think is happening here? I'm not gonna kidnap you or anything like that… did you think that I was gonna hurt you?" He said and his body still convulsed from the remnants of his cavernous laugh.

"What the hell do you expect… you hop out of an old car in the middle of nowhere with a gun. Even after you saw that we were trying to get away from you, you still followed us like some ego –maniac," Alison said whilst helping me to my feet.

"I'm a sheriff little lady and believe me, if I wanted to hurt you, you'd be hurt long before my cigarette went out," he smiled reaching out his hand and then stepped back so that I could stand upright, "My partner and I usually make rounds along this old road at night," he said pointing to the car. "Apparently, it's the perfect place for murder – dark, long, and deserted. So where are you ladies headed, why are you here?"

Alison nervously tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at me for the response. My stomach coiled as the real reasons as to why we ended up here lay sturdy on the tip of my tongue like a bitter drop of bitrex. I swallowed forcefully and looked him in the eye and up until the last second I had no idea what I was gonna say before his partner blew the horn. The sheriff looked over us, in his partner's direction, and started walking back to the car. "Come on, we'll give you a ride. Petey gets a little impatient on this here old road," the man chuckled and stomped confidently towards the car. Ali and I sighed simultaneously in relief as we trailed a few feet behind the man.

The car was older on the inside than it looked on the outside and it had a weird and noxious smell of beer burps and Chinese food. I sat behind with Ali as she tried propping me up with her side. Sometime along the old road I fell asleep with my head on her soft shoulders and when I woke up, we were at an airport. Alison had already exited the car and was on a nearby pay-phone and from the looks of it, whoever she was talking to on the other line had her grinning like a Cheshire cat. I squinted to get a better view and to read her lips – a little jealous that someone else could make the blonde smile like that.

"Hey!" the sheriff exclaimed drawing my attention quickly, "this is your stop pretty brunette." He smiled and kept a firm but creepy gaze on me. I cringed and scouted out the car with our bags. Alison had just gotten off the call when I shut the door to the old Hillman Minx. She walked up to me directly with a smirk on her lips and a very confident look in her eyes; it was quite suggestive but I had no time to admire the blonde.

"Thank you sheriff… for the lift," she said and then grabbed my hand. "We're heading to New York," she said smilingly and tugged me in the direction of the airport doors.

"W-wait Ali… what's the plan here," I stopped her.

"I have a friend in North Hills," she tucked her hair behind her head concealing something, "we can stay at his house until this whole A thing blows over."

"Alright and how are we supposed to get on a plane and fly to New York? We have no money Ali."

"Hey relax, I have everything under control, ok… trust me," she smiled and kissed my lips.

Ali and I changed clothes in the bathroom before our flight arrived. I was sceptical about the entire thing but I guess we had no other choice than to go along with Alison's plan. I mean she has always proven to be very resourceful and we needed to leave before A caught up with us again. In no time, we boarded the plane.

"Right this way ladies," the flight attendant ushered us to the first class section of the plane.

"Ali what the hell?" I asked wondering how the hell she could afford first class seats.

"You said you'd trust me," she smirked provocatively and we took our seats.

"We have champagne upon your request as well as a meal of a deluxe salad drizzled with Chilean extra virgin olive oil or mixed meat riced served with Argentinean beef. There is also a variety of juices whenever you desire. Please don't hesitate to call on any one of your attendants. There is also a menu at the side of your seat. Thank you for flying with Chaste Airways," said the brunette flight attendant dressed sleekly in a blue and white uniform.

"You have got to be kidding me," I spoke behind an awkward smile as she left Ali and me.

"Why are you so tense babe? This is gonna fun," Ali replied whilst reaching for a magazine.

I was completely uncomfortable with someone spending that kind of money on us - some kind of friend Ali keeps. The flight was quick and painless. I spent the whole time breathing in the blonde beauty as she nestled into my shoulder. She still smelled like strawberry shampoo and bubble-gum – just like when we were teens. After a while we both dozed off.

When we got to New York, there was a car already out front awaiting our arrival. Alison grinned from cheekbone to cheekbone as the driver rolled the window down. It revealed an older man, well not really that old maybe thirty, thirty-two. He was extremely handsome, if I do say so myself, and the way he marvelled at Alison made my stomach turn.

"Hi Triston!" Ali said and all of a sudden her voice was in that tone – the flirty one that should only be used on me.

"Hey there beautiful!" he barked with a vodka soaked voice. The man hoped out of his Bentley and squeezed Alison into him. It took all of my strength not to roll my eyes when he nodded my way.

"Triston ahaha," she beamed and then looked back at me, "this is my, my girlfriend Emily,"

"G-girlfriend… nice, very hot," he replied with eyes shimmering at the blonde.

"You are such a hornball… can we get out of here, we're a bit exhausted from the flight," she replied.

"Sure that's no problem… but you're sitting up front with me Ali," he laughed and pulled her towards the car. _Good God._

"Ali jumped in the passenger seat and I sat behind.

"You have a beautiful girlfriend Ali…you all comfortable in the back there Amy?" Triston asked.

"It's Emily… and I'm her fiancée" I retorted with a sigh of annoyance. Alison turned around and flashed me a confused look. I rolled my eyes at her and pulled out my phone to contact the girls. While Alison and her friend caught up, I messaged Hannah to let her know that we were safe.

It took probably a half hour to get to this guy's apartment. But when we did, I was blown away. The apartment complex was obviously designed by a very skilled and contemporary architect. It was magnificently breath-taking. It was a twenty storey building and Alison's friend was staying on the top floor. The building was mostly made of glass which usually screams money to people – I mean the guy flew us here first-class.

"It's pretty sweet huh, Emma? Triston asked obnoxiously drawing my attention away while he took Ali's bags out of the car.

"It's Emily," I replied with annoyance and Ali shot me a look pleading that I ignore her stupid friend trying to get under my skin, which he was doing very well. I got my own bags and followed the two to the apartment.

The inside was just as expected. Nothing remotely homie about the place. It was as if glass, leather and Bourbon had a threesome and this was the mess they left. Don't get me wrong, it was a stunning place but this guy had already set my attitude to dislike everything about him and what he held dear. I'm just kidding though.

"Well," he spoke exhausted after dropping the bags at the door, "you ladies enjoy the apartment…"

"Um, you're not staying?" Alison asked.

"I don't think Amy likes me very much," he laughed. My mouth fell open a bit embarrassed that I was read that easily.

"Don't be silly hun, Emily likes you. Don't you, babe?" she looked at me with humoured eyes and I flashed a broken smile but before I could get the lie passed my lips Triston spoke.

"I'm just kidding," he walked over to Ali and scooped her into a hug, "I have business to take care of so I'll be out of you guys' hair for about a week. I better get going before I miss my flight. Love you gorgeous." He left with a swift kiss on her forehead to which I had to leave the room entirely in order to stomach his goodbye. The nerve of this guy. At the risk of sounding ungrateful, he disgusts me. I'm not sure if it's because of his snobby, entitled aura that seem to filter into his apartment or the fact that he is way too close to the woman I loved. In fact, their whole relationship annoys me profoundly. I have never heard of a Triston, yet they seem to be particularly close to each other. Maybe he was one of the rich college guys she dated, I mean she wasn't the most chaste girl back in the day. To think of his repulsive hands running its way across her body is absolutely nauseating.

"Hey," said the blonde as she whisked into the bedroom that I was in, "where'd you go?"

"I think it's kinda obvious, now, where I went, don't you think?" I rebottled with a sour tone in my voice.

"Um… what's your problem?" she asked with folded arms and sharp eyes that were directed right at mine.

"I don't have a problem," I said in with colourless attitude.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked and this time it was softer and more concerned, "since we got off the plane you've been acting really weird… kinda rude."

"I'm the rude one?" I scoffed and got beneath the sheets, finished with the conversation.

"Emily, I'm talking to you," she said and walked over to the bed, "what is up with you?" she sat down and I could feel her gaze burning holes in the back of my head.

"Can we just talk about this tomorrow? Please?"

"Why are you acting this way?" she asked almost defeated. I felt so pathetic that I couldn't control my emotions but when it came to Alison, I never ever have control, not one ounce of it. Still, I was a bit surprised at how passionate my possessiveness had become.

It took the blonde less than two minutes to figure out what the issue was and hearing her say it made me feel absolutely ridiculous. "Emmy, this isn't about Triston, is it?" she asked and I could tell that she was hoping that I was much more mature than that. _God, I could hear it in her expression_. I stayed silent suffocating in embarrassment and in complete fear that anything I had to say would just make me look worse.

"Come on Em, are you serious?!" she stood up from the bed.

I turned around sensing her aggravation. "What do you want me to say Ali?!"

"You can't seriously be upset with me right now. Triston and I are just friends…"

"Yeah but… the way he hugs you and talks to you… paying for us to come here and giving us his apartment. Did you sleep with this guy?"

"I can't believe you right now. You really think I would do that to you? That I would totally disrespect you like that? Look at your hand… you're wearing the ring that I gave to you and that means something to me. Just remember that," she spoke sounding disappointed. Her eyes were heavy and the way they looked at me killed me inside. Maybe I was being foolish. She turned to leave the room and I crossed my arms stubbornly pacing the room. She stopped at the door and turned to face me once more. "And for the record, Emily, I never slept with him."

I sighed and walked out behind her. She went into the kitchen and stood at the counter, steaming. When I walked into the room, her eyes darted to me but they looked away as fast as they came. I bit my lips and ambled over to her. Her body was pushed against the counter and mine was pressed into her side. I looked down at her and she looked back at me.

"I'm sorry," I said to her and took the hair from her face, forcing it over her shoulder, "I am… I'm really sorry."

"Em…" she closed her eyes still hurting from my accusations.

"I'm sorry. I should've never said that to you. I shouldn't have even thought of it. It's just… the way he was with you made me feel… it really got under my skin and… I just got so jealous. I mean you didn't even introduce me as your fiancée. Ali y-you don't understand what I feel for you..."

"Emily, I'm just as in love with you as you are with me. You think I don't get jealous when guys… and girls look at you? It drives me nuts but I know that at the end of the day, you're all mine. I am completely yours and no one is ever gonna come between us. Baby, you don't ever have to worry about that," she said and placed her warm palm against my cheek. I nestled into her touch like a child against warm sheets. Before I could open my eyes, she put her lips against mine in a wholehearted kiss. I smiled when she pulled away.

"You can't really blame me for getting jealous. Just look at you," I said and stepped back to admire her, making her blush. She shoved me and then wrapped her arms around me. Her laughter filled the room and the mood shifted immediately.

"I love you," she sweetly admitted and pecked me on the lips again.

"Prove it," I said behind gritted teeth. She laughed and walked over to the fridge looking for something to cook.

"We can play later," she smirked and then riffled through the refrigerator. "How does Mac 'n' Cheese sound?"

"Sounds good," I replied nonchalantly. She started the fire and began chopping up some veggies. I jumped up unto the counter and watched as she made dinner. She took her hair into a messy bun and continued what she was doing. I was mesmerized and I felt so blessed to have a fiancée this enchanting.

"Music?" I asked and when she nodded, I blasted Beyoncé's 'Partition' from my phone. This had been one of Ali's favourite songs for the past month. It always got her in the mood and she knew that that was the sole reason I had for putting it on.

I sat on the counter and waited for it to sink into her. She giggled and fought it hard making herself productive on the stove. I waited for her to come to me but it wasn't working. In fact, it had a boomerang effect. Her hips swayed automatically to the beat and watching her made me feel delicious things down below. I hopped down and stood behind her.

"Emily"

"Yhhh?" I whispered against her neck and put my lips to it. She shuddered and inhaled slowly which satisfied me greatly. It was working. My hands slid up her body leisurely until they got to her breasts. Her nipples were hard and I pinched them gently making her gasp. She tossed her head and pushed her body against mine. I smirked devilishly as I continued turning her on. I took my hands lower and lower, then they entered her shorts.

"Emily stop it," she said in a breathy voice and haltered my hands. She stirred the pot and went back to chopping the veggies as if none of it happened. I spun her around at the counter and our eyes met in an electrical current. Hers were a smoky azure and her lips parted; they were full and moist. I kissed her madly pulling a moan from her lungs. She held the knife away from us as I tilted her back slightly.

I moved to her exposed neck and kissed the spot that usually dwindles her control. While I sucked at her sweet skin, my fingers unfastened the back of her bra but her firm breasts remained hidden away beneath her blouse. I pulled up her shirt and wrapped my lips around her nipples. She dropped the knife on the floor but neither of us payed it any notice. I didn't stay there very long. I kissed a pathed straight down to the waistband of her pants and yanked it down making her rock against the countertop. Her panties were sky-blue, cotton and hugged her tightly. They were soaking wet which made me want to taste her even more. I parted her legs and moved the piece of cloth out of the way; putting my lips to her. She bit her bottom lip and tossed her head back, fighting back a lurid moan. She was dripping with honey, so sweet that I couldn't stop myself. Her moans were intense but she kept them contained which gave them a rough, almost visceral sound. Anything she does is sexy.

"Oh my God, Emily," it finally escaped her lips and her hands danced in my raven hair. I could feel her getting close to her apex but I was enjoying the build-up so I slowed down; appreciating every inch of her. I hummed against her and the vibrations made her body jolt against my mouth. She flung her leg over my shoulder and I took the other one and forced her on top of the counter. I stood up with my lips covered in all of her. She laid down across the counter like full course meal and I was starving for her. I bent over to complete what I had started and she was enjoying every minute of this; as was I. Her moans were now loud and very communicative of the pleasure she was experiencing.

Her grip tightened in my hair when I stuck my fingers into her. I quickly found her spot and worked her over just the way she liked it. She couldn't get words out and instead came a slur of stuttering praises. She came soon after; pinning me between her legs. Her entire body lifted from the countertop as if she had been levitating in ecstasy. She was like a pot of boiling water quickly vaporizing right before my eyes leaving behind a burnt-out, sticky mess. She scorched the entire room.

It took about forty seconds for her to finally come back down from the heights. When she did, her skin was flushed; her face like a beautiful rose. She smiled combing through her hair with her fingertips. I shot up when I realised that the food was burning on the stove. She hopped off the counter and we tried to put out the fire.

When we got it out, I couldn't stop laughing at her face. She looked entirely freaked out. I had to hold onto the stool because of how hard I was laughing. She tried hard to hold back her amusement but couldn't help but crack a smile.

"I'm sorry babe," I squeezed out between laughing and pulled her against me.

"Oh you're just full of apologies today aren't you?" she squinted her eyes and then looked back at her deceased Mac 'n' Cheese stuck to the pot in the sink and exhaled in frustration.

"We'll order pizza, don't worry," I kissed her forehead and pulled out my phone to make the call.

"Twenty minutes huh?" she said in a flirty tone. That's how long we had until the pizza arrived. She had a few things planned for me before then. She led me into the bedroom and gave me the best twenty minutes of my life. In fact, I went right to sleep and she ended up paying for the pizza and bringing it into bed with us.

I could get use to this kind of life…


	41. Chapter 41 - New York

"Good morning," I smiled down at Alison with two hot potato pies and a cup of coffee. I decided to surprise her with breakfast in bed; it's the least I could have done. The blonde rubbed her eyes awake so innocently like a little girl and then the brightest grin followed when she smelt the food.

"Mmm what smells so _good_ baby," she purred and for a fraction of that second I was jealous of a bag of pies – something to be proud of? God, she has me mind and body under some sort of spell. I eat, sleep, and breathe Alison. Just her name alone is sensual; the way my tongue is forced to caress my mouth whenever I say her name blows my mind.

"What has your mind so occupied Em?" she looked lovingly at me whilst taking the bag of potato pies from my hand.

I sighed and smiled, "It just never gets old… how stunning you are." I watched her eyes take on a frostier shade of blue and her lips fixed together in a plump peach smile, showing the dimple. "I know, you know how beautiful you are but I really doubt you or anyone else see you the way I see you. I feel like… I'll never get over the fact that you're mine, Alison, you're mine. I-It's absolutely crazy Ali, I still get butterflies next to you, I still have to think twice about what I say because I wanna impress you, I still live to see that thousand watt smile!" I was so consumed with emotion that I had no idea how loud I was speaking. Ali just sat there giggling; her eyes disappearing in lovely laughter.

"I still get the butterflies too," she added, grabbing my arm and pulling me into a sweet kiss. I pulled away; quicker than she had liked me to and was greeted with a pout. I smiled and handed her the breakfast. She bit into it immediately and before I could open mine she was already half way finished. Maybe it's the fact that she's a bit anxious about being away from home but Ali had been eating quite a lot since we got to New York.

"Whoa! You're finished already hun?" I distracted her from the demolition of her fingers.

She laughed a bit embarrassed, "Ive been so so hungry lately. If we weren't… you know, I'd probably be taking a pregnancy test right now."

"Are you still having trouble with that word again," I detoured jokingly, still wondering why she couldn't say the word 'gay'.

"Em I'm serious," she said with a complete change in mood, "Last night while you were asleep I was up eating peanut butter and crackers…"

"But you hate peanut butter…"

"Exactly, it is the absolute worst," she pursed her lips and looked away.

"It's probably just you being nervous about everything that's happening. Speaking of, I need to call the girls to check in," I said and walked out of the room to make the call. Ali and I were so paranoid about this situation that we couldn't even look at the news. Of all the jams the girls and I got into over the years, this one isn't at all easy to escape from. I knew one thing and one thing only, that is, that there was no way that I would let her go to jail. I had no intentions of losing Alison when I barely got a chance to have her. We had to figure this out and fast.

"Hello?" Hanna answered her phone nonchalantly.

"Hanna, it's me, Emily…"

"Oh my God Em! What the hell is going on? Where are you guys?" her tone took on immediate urgency.

"Ali and I are safe. We're in New York, at one of her friends' apartments. Where are the other girls?" I asked wanting not only to hear their voices but to discuss what our strategy would be to resolve this nightmare.

"Aria and Spencer aren't here. I'm not sure where they went…"

"Okay," I replied slightly thrown off, "Can we organize like a video call sometime tonight. You know, to talk about the thing." I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Alison wasn't listening in on the conversation. I don't know why but I did not want her to worry in the slightest bit. It's like our little escape to New York pushed the problems back a few steps. It was a peephole look into what a life of normalcy for us would be like and I didn't want to destroy that for Ali.

"Who was that?" she asked sweetly while approaching me.

"Oh, um wrong number," I lied a lot more comfortably than I used to. As much as I hate lying to Alison, I love her smile a lot more. I pulled her in, our pelvic areas attached, and kissed her lips lightly. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine. It was probably some bad food or all the running around or something," she smiled and ran a hand through her beautifully flawless, golden hair. I couldn't help but smile back. She was such a beauty in everything she did. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she blushed.

"I don't know… there is just something about your smile blondie," I smirked and walked towards her. "Let's go out tonight," I embraced her; wrapping long tan limbs around her petite frame.

"This time can we at least finish the food and not fuck in the bathroom stalls," she giggled and her eyes disappeared in the laughter. I blushed a bit embarrassed at my antics the last time we decided to go out for dinner.

I left Ali for a while and made few calls hoping to get last minute reservations. I was thinking we could have gone out for some Chinese but apparently Alison's friend left her with a credit card. Despite all the pride I have where providing for the blonde is concerned, there was no way I was refusing free food. She did, however, subject me to coercion to get me to agree to using the card.

Whilst on the phone with an Italian restaurant a few blocks away, I could hear Alison in the bathroom getting ready. The blow-dryer was on full blast and sound of her shuffling through her make-up set murmured in the background. She always loved getting dressed to the sounds of Coldplay and honestly, nothing sounded better to me. Just how natural and easy this all seemed. I began feeling like we could forget everything about Rosewood and make a life out here, just her and I. I could've gotten a part-time job and try again to get my degree in psychology, while Alison took up her teaching job at one the High Schools in the area. I'd establish a flourishing career and own my own private practice and the blonde would go on to become the principal of her school. We'd get a nice apartment just like this, adopt a couple kids.

"Hey," she said pulling me from my dream, "what are you doing?" She gestured at the phone on my leg and my drooling stare across the room.

"Umm…"

"Are you okay?" she furrowed her brows in confusion, "Did you make the reservations, babe?"

"Y-yeah I did," I cracked half a smile and ogled at her sexy black underwear and spanks. She took the phone from my hands and placed it on the hook. When she bent over, I took the opportunity to pull her on top of me. She fell back onto me in a seated position on the world's most comfortable couch.

"Em!" she exclaimed and giggled. Her hair was light and full of body. It swayed to the right as she looked teasingly back at me. I kissed her shoulder and then she tilted her head to kiss my lips. As we kissed, I walked my hand up her smooth stomach and stopped at the cups of her bra. She moaned lightly then rested her head back onto my chest, then she inched her way up to my neck and as I groped her breasts, she sucked on the tender flesh of my neck. Her body danced seductively against mine and at this rate it looked like we weren't going to make it out of the apartment.

She suddenly stopped and slapped my hands away as if my hypnotism had worn off abruptly. She got up and reached for my hands. I wore a hurt look on my face because I was really getting into of little time there.

"Ali…" I begged but she shook her head disapprovingly at my plea to please.

"Come on Em, we need to eat," she said and pulled me off the couch.

We were out the apartment within a half hour and it took us approximately fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant. It was packed and the Italian food filled the entire room gloriously. The room was well lit with modern chandeliers and lights falling from the ceiling. The light made her shine even more and everyone in the room stared as we made our way to our seats.

She wore a gold off-the-shoulder dress that didn't grip her body but it was tight enough to accentuate her many amazing curves. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She beamed at me because she knew the effect it has on me when she got all dolled up. Every girl loves a gorgeous Barbie doll all for themselves. And she was all mine to play with all night.

"Are you just gonna stare at me all night?" she blushed peeping up from her menu.

"Maybe…" I teased and looked down into mine. Ever so often I would steal chances to look at her. The way her forehead crinkled to see the words clearly as her eyes scanned the pages was alluring. Everything she did was charming to me.

Nonetheless, we made it through the night and managed to finish eating. The food was wonderful and we ordered Champaign to celebrate us just spending time together. Ali was very tipsy by the time we got back to the apartment complex. We made out all the way up to our floor; stumbling to the door and exploring each other wildly. I pulled from her yearning lips to get the keys out of my pocket. She already had her hand down my pants while I searched feverishly for the key hole.

The door was already open and I pushed it cautiously. Alison stopped her advances when she saw the stunned look on my face. "We locked the door when we left right?" I asked looking at her widened eyes.

"Of course we did," she said and we both slowly entered the apartment. Everything seemed to be in place at first glance but given the fact that this wasn't our place, we separated to check out all the rooms.

I went into the bedroom and went straight for the dresser. All of our stuff was untouched and everything seemed fine. While opening up some of the drawers I got four text messages in quick successions. When I looked at the phone it was Hanna. The messages read:

 _ **Emily, you and Ali need to get out of there!**_

 _ **Don't stay in the house!**_

 _ **A just sent us a pic of your apartment!**_

 _ **If you guys are out of there call the police and don't go home!**_

I spun around on my heels and as I was about to say Alison's name a huge figure in a hoody drove a needle into my neck and pumped some chemical into me.

"W-wha- what are you d-" was all I could get out before the entire room became a blur and I slumped to the ground. I saw a cloudy image of Ali's feet enter the room and black boots approach her in a tussle. I tried with every fibre in my body to get up but I was just so tired. I needed to close my eyes for just a moment.

"Emily," I heard her sweet voice say my name in the most melodic tune. Her voice was velvet, it felt like honey to my ears, "Emily!" it was suddenly sharp and pain stricken. My eyes burst open to see Alison tied up on a bed. She was stripped down to her underwear and her hand and feet bound to the bed posts and head.

I pulled to rush over to her only to discover that I too was restricted by rope snaking its way around my wrists and ankles. I was sitting in a chair jammed to the corner of our bedroom. Alison looked pale with fear and tears mingled with her mascara leaving a mucky trail along her cheeks.

"A-Ali!" I yelled as she tried worming her way out of the restraints.

"What do you want from us!" she screamed completely crazed by the chaotic situation. I looked in the direction that she was looking as she said it and a man walked forward. He wore a hoody and his face was hidden by a ski mask. As he approached the blonde I tugged violently to break free of the rope but it wouldn't budge.

He walked to the bed and rubbed his dirty hands on her thigh. "Don't touch her!" I cried out in a blubbering mess. "I swear to God if you put a hand on her I will kill you!" We were both crying and screaming. The man pulled out a knife and placed his finger to his lips gesturing us to be quiet.

"Get away from her!" I yelled and he swiftly brought the knife down tainting the blondes milky alabaster skin. She shrieked out sharply as the knife left a trickle of blood on her leg. I folded my lips and silenced my yelp fearing that another sound from me would make him hurt her again. I felt my inside coil at the sight of Alison. I felt completely helpless.

The man left the room and we were both shaking in fear. I looked over to her and her blue eyes were beckoning for help. We heard music fill the apartment followed by heavy footsteps leading their way back to our room. "Oh God," I sobbed and Ali started hyperventilating when the man re-entered the room.

He crawled over her and her half naked body was shaking like a leaf waiting for him to exact more damage. The man took his knife and glided the business end up her thigh to her stomach. the knife left a fleeting impression on her skin and she was crying ceaselessly.

"Please, please," I begged completely beaten by my powerlessness in the situation.

"Shut up," he said and that was the first time he spoke. I couldn't recognize the voice but I heard the perverted manner in which he spoke as his beady little eyes rummaged her body stretched out before him. He took his knife once more and cut on side of Ali's panties. She cried out again and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Pleeeeeeeease!" I begged with gritted teeth. He was about to rape the love of my life right in front of my eyes. I wanted to die in that moment. To watch him take the light from her eyes and violate her, would ruin me for good. "Please God," I begged for sudden death because I knew that no help would come soon enough to save the blonde from this. He pulled his mask up just above his mouth and start kissing Alison's stomach. She squirmed in disgust and released a frustrating bellow.

"Please don't fucking touch her. Please!" I screamed over and over until her ceased and punched the bed. "Take me instead."

The man stopped and laughed but he climbed off of Alison. Her eyes opened wide as she watched him walk over to me. He slapped me across the face and it was hot and heavy. My head flung to the side and I moaned in pain.

"Stop it!" Ali yelled.

The man unbuckled his pants with one hand and held the knife to my throat with the other. He cut me loose and locked my neck, leading me to the bed. I was pushed down next to Alison and pinned facing the bed. Alison yanked continuously at the rope but to no avail. My panties were ripped off of me and I trembled waiting for this man to rape me. I didn't yell or cry out because I'd rather be the one to face this than have to watch him do it to her. Although, I'm not so sure which one would have been better.

He parted my legs and I felt his weight push me further into the bed. I could feel Ali struggling beside me but there was nothing I could do. I closed my eyes tightly and then it happened. I had never been with a man sexually before this. I thought back to the time I lied about sleeping with Ben and telling it to the girls and Alison. She was so impressed but really and truly all I wanted to do was lose myself to her. I imagine that she must have had several encounters with men and sex before but I couldn't watch it.

I felt him enter me in a searing push. He was rough and grabbed a fistful of my hair tugging it back against him. He plunged into me over and over and I good hear him moan breathlessly against the back of my neck. His breath was hot and he wheezed from the intensity in which he was entering me.

"Please stop, please!" Ali bawled in the most blood curdling cry I'd ever heard and I was mostly silent. There was no way that this monster was going to get a moan out of me. He went faster and harder, slamming his pelvis into my ass so hard that I felt it in my lower back. His jeans rubbed against my flailing legs and my hair was a mess; sprawled out in every direction. The bed shook and he wouldn't let up. It felt like this would go on forever and I couldn't hold back any longer. A moan of pure pain escaped my lips and I heard him sigh in relief almost as if he had been waiting on my submission this whole time.

He came shortly after inside of me. I felt like I had no control over my body and I lay on the bed lifelessly next to Alison. "Emily?" her voice cracked from all the crying and screaming before. I was drained and slipped back into a sleep.

When I woke up, Alison's red stained eyes lit up in relief. I pulled myself up unto the bed and untied her. The first thing she did was wrap her arms around me and we both squeezed each other. She hopped off the bed quietly and checked to see if the man had left and by then he was nowhere to be found. She locked the doors and came back into the room. I was emotionless and traumatized by what just took place. She reached for me and took me into the bathroom. She turned the shower on and we both went into the shower together.

As the water hit my skin, I broke down screaming and crying into her shoulder. I felt like I couldn't breathe because everything was hitting me all at once. All that I was holding in came flooding back to my lips. She held unto me for dear life and cried along with me. We spent hours just like that.

That night, Alison made us some tea and we called the girls from bed. She wasn't sure if I wanted her to tell them what had happened to me but I told her it was ok. Each of them were in tears when they heard and Alison couldn't hold up as she relayed the story to them. I was speechless while they all talked. We agreed that she and I should head back home the next morning. It just wasn't safe out here.

I could not sleep at all but Ali fell asleep with her arms locking me in place. My mind was blank but heavy. I just stared at the door praying that no one came back. I lay there and I could still feel him inside of me. As much as I cleaned myself off, I felt dirty, I felt violated. I can't do this anymore.


End file.
